Four Arkansas inmates have filed a lawsuit against the penitentiary and their doctor, saying they were given without their knowledge. ivermectin against coronavirus, in a form of "medical experiment", despite the fact that US health authorities have warned that antiparasitic drugs should not be used for this purpose.
The U.S. Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit against the men last week in Washington, D.C. County Sheriff Tim Helder and the prison's doctor, Dr. Robert Karas. Last August, Helder revealed that the drug had been administered to coronavirus patients.
"The lawsuit alleges that the defendants administered ivermectin to detainees without first obtaining informed consent about the nature, content or possible side effects of the drug," the ACLU said in a statement.
They made the prisoners guinea pigs
Gary Sullivan, the ACLU's legal director in Arkansas, condemned Helder's actions, saying: "No one - including prisoners - should be deceived and subjected to medical experiments. "Sheriff Helder has an obligation to provide shelter, food and safe, adequate care to detainees."
"The plaintiffs received extremely high doses of a drug, for which reputable experts, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agree that it is not an effective treatment for coronavirus, and that when taken in high doses it can become dangerous for the man ", the lawsuit states.
The prosecution also accuses Karas of telling the detainees that the drugs he gave them "were nothing more than simple vitamins, antibiotics and / or steroids." He added that "if the plaintiffs had been informed that the drugs given to them contained the antiparasitic ivermectin and had been informed of its possible side effects, they would have refused to take it."
Severe side effects
According to the lawsuit, the detainees actually experienced side effects, which included vision problems, diarrhea, blood in the stools and stomach cramps. In addition, they were asked to pay for medical examinations, which they had to undergo after the onset of side effects of the drug.
Karas claims that he started giving ivermectin to the prisons in November 2020. The four detainees received the substance after they first tested positive for coronavirus in August, according to the lawsuit.
In a letter to his lawyer last September, Karas told the state medical's state overseer that he had administered the substance to a total of 254 detainees.
The medical body is investigating the allegations against Karas about the use of ivermectin in prisons and is expected to discuss the findings at a meeting in February.
Ivermectin has occupied the entire planet. But last July, a study supporting its effectiveness against the coronavirus was withdrawn due to "ethical concerns".
As reports of ivermectin use continue, the Food and Drug Administration has reiterated its warnings against the use of doses of the drug corresponding to animals as treatment for coronavirus.
"Taking large amounts of this drug is dangerous and can cause serious damage," the body said, adding that the substance can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, delirium or even death.
With information from the Guardian
in.gr