House Bill 25 would make the anti-parasitic drug available behind the pharmacist counter, like Sudafed.
AUSTIN, Texas — On Wednesday afternoon, the Texas House approved a bill allowing Texans to buy ivermectin without a prescription.
Rep. Joanne Shofner (R-Nacogdoches) filed House Bill 25. It would make ivermectin available behind the pharmacist counter, like Sudafed.
Some people use the anti-parasitic drug to treat COVID-19, even though the Food and Drug Administration has not approved that usage.
Supporters said the bill would provide medical freedom and better access, especially for rural Texans living far from a doctor.
Rep. Dr. Tom Oliverson (R-Cypress), an anesthesiologist, supports expanding access to this off-label use of the drug.
“This drug has a very good safety record and a very good safety profile,” said Oliverson during the floor debate on Wednesday. “There are other medications that are available over the counter, such as famotidine and pantoprazole, which have far more drug-drug interactions and side effects than this does.”
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who joined Governor Greg Abbott in Austin on Wednesday to sign several “Make America Healthy Again” bills passed during the regular legislative session, was asked by a reporter about HB 25.
“I think it’s a really good bill,” said Kennedy. “I think Americans should have the choice.”
Opponents claim ivermectin’s effectiveness for treating covid is unproven.
Rep. Rafael Anchía (D-Dallas) unsuccessfully tried to rename HB 25 the “Darwin Awards Act”.
“The reason I have chosen this illustrious title for this act named after Charles Darwin is that, again, no major mainstream medical group has recommended that ivermectin be sold over the counter,” said Anchía on the House floor.
Rep. Dr. Suleman Lalani (D-Sugar Land), a geriatric medicine physician, told colleagues passing HB 25 would be “legitimizing pseudoscience.”
“My fear is that people have been falsely told that this is a miracle drug, and they will rely on this in their dire needs of life-threatening situation” said Lalani. “We should not substitute hope for evidence and convenience for medical judgment.”
The floor debate on Wednesday got heated at times, with even the Sergeant-at-Arms stepping in at one point to calm tensions.
Under HB 25, the Texas State Board of Pharmacy would set rules for the drug.
After advancing out of the House, HB 25 went to the Texas Senate, where it passed late Wednesday night. It now heads to Gov. Greg Abbott to be signed into law.
Currently, four states allow the use of ivermectin over the counter: Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana and Idaho.
KVUE emailed TSBP early Wednesday afternoon to ask what those regulations could look like, along with their position on the bill, but have not heard back yet.