Tablets of Ivermectin drugs  Credit: Soumyabrata Roy/Nur/Getty

In November 2020, a pre-print study touting the safety and efficacy of an anti-parasitic drug called Ivermectin was published on the Research Square website, a platform where scientific studies are submitted before they are peer-reviewed and accepted by a journal. The study, led by Dr. Ahmed Elgazzar of Egypt’s Benha University, claimed that in a randomized control trial of nearly 600 people, hospitalized COVID-19 patients who “received ivermectin early reported substantial recovery.”

In the search for a COVID-19 wonder drug, the preprint study seemed promising. But then, in July 2021, the paper was pulled “due to ethical concerns.” Those concerns included alleged plagiarism and calculation of data points that were “mathematically impossible,” according to The Guardian.

Despite the retraction, the anti-parasite drug is allegedly flying off shelves of local farmer supply stores, according to various local news reports who say some feed stores are struggling to keep it in stock.. That’s because the drug has become a political flashpoint, enveloped by the culture wars just like nearly everything else related to the pandemic.Advertisement:https://a30138ed0d3836b1aab1020a40c73236.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Indeed, Republicans politicians like Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) have promoted Ivermectin as a COVID […]

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