Consumer Health Digest is a free weekly e-mail newsletter edited by William M. London, Ed.D., M.P.H., with help from Stephen Barrett, M.D., It summarizes scientific reports; legislative developments; enforcement actions; other news items; Web site evaluations; recommended and nonrecommended books; research tips; and other information relevant to consumer protection and consumer decision-making. The Digest’s primary focus is on health, but occasionally it includes non-health scams and practical tips. Items posted to this archive may be updated when relevant information becomes available. To subscribe, click here.
Ivermectin panned for COVID-19 treatment and prevention. The Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC Alliance), a group founded by three critical-care physicians, has touted the anti-parasite drug ivermectin for off-label use in COVID-19 treatment and prevention. The group claims that ivermectin (a) has been found to have antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties in laboratory studies and (b) is supported in COVID-19 treatment and prevention by a 30-page literature review and meta-analysis posted on the FLCCC Alliance website. [Fiore K. What’s behind the ivermectin-for-COVID buzz? — Maverick physicians spurn randomized trials while “people are dying.”Medpage Today, Jan 6, 2021] However there are good reasons to be skeptical:
- A New South Wales government evidence check has concluded: “Currently, there are insufficient data to support the use of ivermectin for prophylaxis or treatment of COVID-19.” [Evidence check: Ivermectin and COVID-19. COVID-19 Critical Intelligence Unit, NSW Health, Dec 23, 2020]
- Merck, the manufacturer of ivermectin, analyzed available data and identified (a) no scientific basis for a potential therapeutic effect against COVID-19 from pre-clinical studies, (b) no meaningful evidence for clinical activity or clinical efficacy in patients with COVID-19 disease, and (c) a concerning lack of safety data in the majority of studies. [Merck statement on ivermectin use during the COVID-19 pandemic, Feb 4, 2021]
- In a recent update to its COVID-19 treatment guidelines, the National Institutes of Health noted that most studies showing favorable outcomes for ivermectin against COVID-19 “had incomplete information and significant methodological limitations, which make it difficult to exclude common causes of bias.” [Ivermectin. NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines, last updated Feb 11, 2021]
- A recent double-blind, randomized clinical trial of 400 adults with mild COVID-19 symptoms found that those who received ivermectin (300 μg/kg of body weight per day for five days) showed no significant difference in time for symptoms to resolve compared to those who received a placebo. [López-Medina E. and others. Effect of ivermectin on time to resolution of symptoms among adults with mild COVID-19: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA, Mar 4, 2021]
- The FDA advises that ivermectin is not an anti-viral, is not approved for treating COVID-19, and can cause serious harm in large doses. [Why you should not use ivermectin to treat or prevent COVID-19. FDA Consumer Update, Mar 5, 2020]
Widespread use of ivermectin for COVID-19 throughout Latin America has aroused concerns that it is interfering with trials of other drugs. [Mega ER. Latin America’s embrace of an unproven COVID treatment is hindering drug trials. Nature, Oct 20, 2020]
Anti-naturopathy advocacy tool available. The Center for Inquiry (CFI) has created a webpage to make it easy to send state lawmakers a message opposing the practice and credentialing of naturopaths. CFI’s recommended message can be personalized. Quackwatch has extensive information on naturopathy.
New website blasts facilitated communication. A new website exposes facilitated communication (FC) as a “thoroughly discredited but persistent technique,” reviews research on FC, provides statements from authoritative organizations about FC, discusses harms from its use, discusses its coverage in the media, and offers recommendations for skeptical activists. FC is also known variously as the rapid prompting method (RPM), supported typing, typing to communicate, informative pointing, spelling to communicate, hand-over-hand, motor communication, and speaking with eyes. FC is alleged to help people overcome severe communication difficulties simply through the use of physical support. It involves a facilitator physically touching the hand, elbow, shoulder, back or other body part to prompt a person with limited language ability to spell out words and sentences on a keyboard or similar device. RPM differs slightly in that the facilitator holds the keyboard in the air while the disabled person points to letters. Dozens of experimental studies and nine systematic reviews indicate that words generated through FC are authored by the facilitator, not the person with disabilities. An illuminating seminar on FC held last month is available on YouTube.
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