Political affiliation drove use of unproven drugs

The use of two unproven COVID-19 treatments in late 2020 was higher in counties with a larger share of Republican voters, according to a study released Friday, suggesting stark political differences in medical decisionmaking.

Hydroxychloroquine prescribing volume from June through December 2020 was roughly double what it had been the previous year, and prescriptions were 150 percent higher in the most Republican counties than in the least, according to the study published Friday in the JAMA Internal Medicine journal.

The Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for the drug in late March 2020, but then revoked it less than three months later. After FDA revoked the authorization, prescribing volume was more than twice as high in counties with the largest share of Republican voters.

Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic drug used most often in veterinary medicine, though it is authorized in humans for use in curing head lice, roundworm infections and other parasitic conditions.

The drug is not authorized for treating COVID-19, and there is no evidence that it can. But it’s gained a following among anti-vaccine groups and right-wing politicians, and in December 2020 prescribing volume was more than 950 percent higher in the most Republican counties compared to the least.