Man removing an ivermectin tablet by hand next to the ivermectin bottle on blue background | Image by Siker Stock/Shutterstock

A hotly debated COVID-era medication could soon be available without a prescription if a proposed state law takes effect.

State Rep. Wes Virdell (R-Brady) introduced HB 3175, a bill that would make ivermectin available over-the-counter (OTC). The text of the law directs the Commissioner of State Health Services to issue an order “authorizing a licensed pharmacist to dispense ivermectin without a health [sic] care practitioner’s prescription order notwithstanding any other law.”

Virdell told The Dallas Express that this bill is necessary to strengthen personal medical freedom. He said other states, like Tennessee, have passed bills requiring the OTC sale of ivermectin, but some pharmacies have still refused to sell the drug.

When asked if HB 3175 requires pharmacies to sell ivermectin, Virdell said no, explaining that the bill would only authorize pharmacies that do carry ivermectin to sell it OTC.

Virdell was motivated to introduce the bill because “watching during COVID, a large number of people ignored known science while participating in unknown, untested science like the mRNA shots… People that were using the known science, which was ivermectin, which has been around for three-plus decades… [were told that ivermectin] doesn’t work and you should use an experimental vaccine.”

Virdell aims to make it easier for people to get this anti-parasitic drug, which is already available for animals at many feedstores in Texas.

The drug’s co-discoverer, Satoshi Ōmura, won a Nobel Prize in 2015 for ivermectin’s efficacy in killing parasites. Other scientists have described his invention as “safe” and a “wonder drug.”

Several studies have found ivermectin to be effective at reducing fatalities in COVID-19 cases.

Nevertheless, some physicians and institutions dispute the efficacy of ivermectin against COVID-19.

The FDA has not approved the drug for the treatment of COVID-19, and the agency’s consumer update reads, “The FDA has determined that currently available clinical trial data do not demonstrate that ivermectin is effective against COVID-19 in humans. ”

However, the agency does provide a caveat that doctors are legally allowed to prescribe a drug for off-label use where they deem it appropriate.

This statement is a departure from previous missives from the FDA. During the pandemic, the FDA ran social media posts that read, “You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y’all. Stop it” and linked to an article titled “Why You Should Not Take Ivermectin to Treat or Prevent COVID-19.”

After a lawsuit from Dr. Mary Talley Bowden of Houston, the case was settled, and the FDA agreed to take down the posts.

There are some shades of concurrence between Virdell and the FDA. Virdell says that he wants people to get ivermectin formulated for humans without having to rely on animal products.

The FDA website says, “Animal ivermectin products are different formulations than those approved for humans. Due to the lack of testing of these formulations in humans, the safety of these products in humans is not known. Never use medications intended for animals on yourself or other people.”

Should the representative’s proposed bill become law, it would take effect on September 1, 2025.

Bills like this have been introduced before but have failed to pass. Senator Bob Hall (R-Edgewood) introduced a similar piece of legislation previously, but it died in committee.