Keep us posted on how it went.
Prayers UP !!
The individual I was speaking with had technical issues and couldn’t transfer me. Cough cough.
“E-mail to infocenter@aphanet.org, and they will respond.”
My letter...
APhA Communications Personnel:
As a very concerned APhA member, pharmacist, and scientist, I am requiring a sufficient response to my points below to continue myAPhA membership to the press release dated September 1st.
PRESS RELEASE: Paid content from PR Newswire
AMA, APhA, ASHP Call for Immediate End to Prescribing, Dispensing, and Use of Ivermectin to Prevent or Treat COVID-19 Outside Clinical Trials
yesterday
“WASHINGTON, Sept. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The American Pharmacists Association, the American Medical Association and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists today released the following joint statement:
The American Medical Association, American Pharmacists Association, and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists strongly oppose the ordering, prescribing, or dispensing of ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19 outside of a clinical trial.” TRUE
“Ivermectin is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for human use to treat infections caused by internal and external parasites. It is not approved to prevent or treat COVID-19. “TRUE
“Ivermectin is also available to treat certain veterinary conditions; medications formulated or intended for use in animals should not be used by humans.” TRUE
“We are alarmed by reports that outpatient prescribing for and dispensing of ivermectin have increased 24-fold since before the pandemic and increased exponentially over the past few months.” WHY?
EVIDENCE-BASED EVALUATION OF THE DRUG CLEARLY INDICATES SOME LEVEL OF SAFETY AND EFFICACY FOR COVID-19. REGISTRATION DATA FOR IVERMECTIN CLEARLY DEMONSTRATES ITS SAFETY IN A WIDE THERAPEUTIC WINDOW.
· Ivermectin: a multifaceted drug of Nobel prize-honoured distinction with indicated efficacy against a new global scourge, COVID-19 A.D.Santin1D.E.Scheim2P.A.McCullough3M.Yagisawa4T.J.Borody5 New Microbes and New Infections Volume 43, September 2021, 100924
· https://c19ivermectin.com/ Database of all ivermectin COVID-19 studies. 113 studies, 73 peer reviewed, 63 with results comparing treatment and control groups.
· The Chairman of the Tokyo Medical Association held a Press Conference today to announce the anti-parasite medicine Ivermectin seems to be amazingly effective at stopping COVID-19. He publicly recommended to ALL Doctors in Japan to immediately begin using Ivermectin to treat COVID. https://youtu.be/xkWOpFk1GGk
“As such, we are calling for an immediate end to the prescribing, dispensing, and use of ivermectin for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 outside of a clinical trial. In addition, we are urging physicians, pharmacists, and other prescribers — trusted healthcare professionals in their communities — to warn patients against the use of ivermectin outside of FDA-approved indications and guidance, whether intended for use in humans or animals, as well as purchasing ivermectin from online stores. Veterinary forms of this medication are highly concentrated for large animals and pose a significant toxicity risk for humans.” PHARMACISTS SHOULD BE FILLING PRESCRIPTIONS BASED ON THE PHYSICAN-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP AND SCIENCE, NOT A GOVERNMENT-MANDATED ALGORITHM. COUNTLESS DRUGS ARE PRESCRIBED FOR OFF-LABEL CONDITONS, INCLUDING ANTIBIOTICS, ANTICOAGULANTS, ANTIARRHYTHMICS, REGLAN, INTRAVENOUS IMMUNE GLOBULIN, AND ON AND ON. WHY IS MY PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION POSITIONING ME AS AN OBSTRUCTION TO REASONABLE CARE BASED ON THE SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE? PHARMACISTS WERE THE ‘MOST TRUSTED PROFESSION’. THE APHA IS POSITIONING ITSELF TO INVERT THIS PERCEPTION AND INSTEAD BECOME ONLY AN ORGAN OF BUREAUCRATIC EDICTS. THIS ORGANIZATION, AS WELL AS THE AMA, AND ASHP IS REDUCING PROFESSIONS TO THOUGHTLESS FLOW-CHART FOLLOWING AUTOMOTONS.
“The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the FDA have issued advisories indicating that ivermectin is not authorized or approved for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19. The National Institutes of Health, World Health Organization, and Merck (the manufacturer of the drug) all state there is insufficient evidence to support the use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19. The Infectious Diseases Society of America Guidelines on the Treatment and Management of Patients with COVID-19 also recommend against the use of ivermectin outside of a clinical trial.” WHY? WHAT IS THE AGENDA? PATIENT WELL-BEING?
“Use of ivermectin for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 has been demonstrated to be harmful to patients.” PLEASE PROVIDE REFERENCE TO APPROPRIATELY DOSED STUDY.
“Calls to poison control centers due to ivermectin ingestion have increased five-fold from their pre-pandemic baseline.” TRUE. PHARMACISTS ARE DRUG INFORMATION SPECIALISTS. WE SHOULD BE PROVIDING INFORMATION, NOT REFUSING SERVICE.
‘A recent CDC Health Alert Network Advisory recommends that healthcare professionals should counsel patients against use of ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19, including emphasizing the potentially toxic effects of this drug, including “nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.” TRUE. DOSING IS IMPORTANT.
“Overdoses are associated with hypotension and neurologic effects such as decreased consciousness, confusion, hallucinations, seizures, coma, and death.” TRUE.
“For more information, we encourage patients and healthcare providers to consult the FDA’s Consumer Update on Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin to Treat or Prevent COVID-19 and the CDC Health Alert Network Advisory on the Rapid Increase in Ivermectin Prescriptions and Reports of Severe Illness Associated with Products Containing Ivermectin to Prevent or Treat COVID-19.” THIS DOES NOT HELP THE PUBLIC WHICH IS CLAMORING FOR INFORMATION REGARDING COVID-19 THERAPY. ONCE TRUST IS LOST IT IS DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE TO REGAIN.
“Patients are encouraged to talk to their physicians, pharmacists, and other prescribers about currently available therapies authorized or approved for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19. The most effective ways to limit the spread of COVID-19 are to get vaccinated, wear a face mask, stay at least six feet from others in public places, wash hands frequently, and avoid large crowds of people.” THIS IS NOT WORKING. IT IS OBVIOUS.
“Our organizations strongly urge eligible unvaccinated individuals to get vaccinated.” THE SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE NEEDS TO BE EVALUATED AND APPLIED. OUR PROFESSION IS OFTEN THE INTERFACE OF MEDICAL CARE WITH THE PUBLIC. WHY IS THE APHA POSITIONING THE PHARMACIST FROM THIS ROLE?
“About the American Pharmacists Association
The American Pharmacists Association is the only organization advancing the entire pharmacy profession. Our expert staff, and strong volunteer leadership, including many experienced pharmacists, allow us to deliver vital leadership to help pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, student pharmacists and pharmacy technicians find success and satisfaction in their work, while advocating for changes that benefit them, their patients and their communities. For more information, please visit www.pharmacist.com. “ THE ACTIONS OF THE APHA AS EVIDENCED BY THIS PRESS RELEASE ARE CLEARLY AT ODDS WITH THIS STATEMENT.
I await your response.
Sincerely,
smileyface, RPh, PhD