Overview
- The UCLA-led study in JAMA Network Open, published Tuesday, found U.S. prescriptions for ivermectin plus a benzimidazole doubled in January through July 2025 versus the same months in 2024, even as the absolute rate stayed near 4 per 100,000 patients.
- The rise was sharpest for people with cancer, white men under 65, and residents of the South, with cancer patient rates more than 2.5 times higher and Southern rates roughly tripling year over year.
- Researchers tied the surge’s timing to Mel Gibson’s January 9, 2025 claim on The Joe Rogan Experience while noting the observational data cannot prove cause, identify prescribers, or show patient outcomes.
- There are no clinical trials showing ivermectin or benzimidazoles treat cancer, and fenbendazole is approved only for animals, which raises safety and dosing risks for people.
- Clinicians warn some patients may delay chemotherapy or other standard care after viral claims and urge health systems to meet those moments with clear, trusted advice at the point of care.