Amazon pushes deworming drug falsely touted as Covid treatment

Amazon is directing users to an anti-parasitic drug falsely claimed to be a treatment for Covid-19.

The drug, called ivermectin, is typically used to treat or prevent parasites in animals. In recent weeks, it has become the latest false cure for Covid-19, prompting warnings from the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

When CNBC searched for the term “iv” on Amazon, the website’s auto-complete function suggested a range of ivermectin products, including “ivermectin pills,” “ivermectin paste” and “ivermectin injectable.” The auto-complete search results are a sign that enough people have been searching for “ivermectin” that Amazon’s search algorithm was automatically trained to put it at the top of suggested results.

User reviews on some of the products appeared to make reference to false claims that ivermectin is a treatment for Covid-19. One review read, “Yes I used it for that. Two doses, completely gone. This stuff absolutely works. The rumors are true.”

TUE, AUG 31 2021

https://www.cnbc.com/