Court won't order hospital to use deworming drug on man

ANN ARBOR (AP) — The Michigan Court of Appeals won’t order a hospital to use a deworming drug to treat a man who has health problems related to COVID-19.

The court said it won’t disrupt the judgment of doctors at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor.

“A court directive in this matter could open the door for a flood of similar suits from other patients with COVID-19, not to mention other conditions, suing to obtain care that is contrary to hospital policies,” the court said last Friday.

The daughter of a 68-year-old man sued after doctors refused to use ivermectin. The man was admitted to the hospital on Nov. 6 with COVID-19.

The man still has severe lung problems and other health woes, but the coronavirus infection has eased, the court noted.

Ivermectin is approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat infections of roundworms, lice and other tiny parasites in humans — not COVID-19. It has been promoted by conservative commentators despite a lack of conclusive evidence that it helps people with the virus.

The Michigan lawsuit is one of two dozen or more filed around the U.S.