TULSA, Okla. — Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor stated he wants to support doctors who choose to prescribe medications like Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine to treat patients with COVID-19.

FOX23 previously reported there has been ongoing controversy surrounding drugs like Ivermectin.

Since the start of the pandemic, doctors have been prescribing Ivermectin to treat COVID-19. According to some doctors that prescribe the medication, “early treatment is key.”

Doctors are split on the issue. Some want to to prescribe Ivermectin to treat COVID-19. Others say the drug shouldn’t be taken to treat the virus.

While Ivermectin is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug, the FDA does not approve of the drug as a treatment for COVID-19.

In an email, the FDA explained that products like Ivermectin “may be prescribed by physicians for unapproved uses if they determine it is appropriate for treating their patients, including during COVID-19.”

The FDA’s statement continued, “At this time. the safety and efficacy of Ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 has not been established.”

Oklahoma State University (OSU) Professor Dr. Jennifer Rudd specializes in infectious diseases. She told FOX23 Ivermectin is typically prescribed to treat things such as parasitic infections.

Dr. Rudd also stated taking Ivermectin is safe as long as the drug is prescribed by a doctor. She said the biggest concern about the drug is the possibility that patients take too high doses.

FOX23 has also spoken to several people who have taken Ivermectin after they contracted COVID-19. They said they believed the drug helped them combat the symptoms and get over the virus.

Attorney General O’Connor said doctors have also been telling him they want to prescribe the drug to treat COVID-19, but they have felt intimidated and have not been been able to engage in the course of treatment they want because of that.

O’Connor released a statement to assure doctors not to worry.

The statement said his office “finds no legal basis for a state medical licensure board to discipline a licensed physician for exercising sound judgement and safely prescribing an FDA-approved drug, like Ivermectin, for the off-label purpose of treating a patient with COVID-19.”

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