The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas filed a federal lawsuit this month against the Washington County jail, Sheriff Tim Helder and Dr. Robert Karas for giving inmates ivermectin as a covid-19 treatment.
Back up: What is ivermectin and how was it used?
Ivermectin is a medicine approved by the FDA for use in people to treat infections caused by some parasitic worms and head lice, as well as skin conditions such as rosacea, according to the administration’s website. (Versions of the drug are also made for animals, and those are not approved for any use in people.)
Ivermectin has never been approved as a treatment for covid-19. However, Karas, the physician who was contracted to provide care at the Washington County jail, said in August to county officials that he was giving ivermectin to inmates as a covid treatment.
What does the lawsuit say?
The lawsuit contends that the detainees, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas, were given ivermectin as early as November 2020 and didn't become aware of what the treatment was until July. The lawsuit states they were told the treatment consisted of "vitamins," "antibiotics," and/or "steroids."
The lawsuit states the men were also given inappropriately high doses of ivermectin and that the drug caused side effects among inmates, such as strong abdominal pains, loss of appetite, vision issues, diarrhea, bloody stools and/or stomach cramps.
The filing asserts that the administration of the drug was a violation of the inmates’ due process rights and their right to equal protection under the law. The suit also claims Karas violated a state law that requires medical providers to warn a patient of hazards of future medical treatment.
Have the doctor, the sheriff or others responded?
No response has yet been filed in court by Karas or anyone else, but Karas did defend his use of ivermectin in a statement in August. Karas said he had prescribed it to prisoners and patients at his clinics since late 2020 and believed a comparison of the “potential benefits” to the known risks supported his use of the drug.
Karas said he was trying to prevent death or serious illness, and none of the 500-plus people to whom he had given ivermectin had been hospitalized, intubated or died.
Helder, the sheriff, said in late August that he learned of the drug’s use after it had already been administered in the jail, and he decided not to second-guess or override the decisions of the medical staff.
Read more about the lawsuit from Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reporter Ron Wood.