This is not a debate: Art Harun shouts down MPs in ivermectin dispute

KUALA LUMPUR – Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun lost his cool when attempting to quash a commotion that erupted during a debate on the use of ivermectin to treat Covid-19.

Health Ministry Deputy Minister Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali (Bagan Serai-Bersatu) told the lower House that the ministry’s study on the use of the anti-parasitic drug on Covid-19 patients showed no differences with individuals undergoing the standard treatment course.

Additionally, safety analysis reports said those undergoing the ivermectin trial were three times more likely to experience adverse effects such as diarrhoea.

“We don’t know what other side effects these patients could experience.”

Meanwhile, Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Rahim (Baling-BN) attempted to query the deputy minister on an incident that saw a family of six infected with Covid-19, except for the father who was taking ivermectin.

This erupted into a war of words, forcing Azhar to intervene.

“Please sit down! This is not a debate,” Azhar shouted.

Sivarasa Rasiah (Sg Buloh-PH) also asked if the ministry would allow private doctors to prescribe off-label use of ivermectin for patients, given there are no differences in the trials that were conducted between patients prescribed the drug and those receiving standard care.

However, this drew a negative response from the deputy minister, who reminded Sivarasa that the trials showed the possibility of side effects.

Thus, he said, the ministry has no plans to implement Sivarasa’s suggestion due to safety issues.

Noor Azmi however said doctors who want to use it for trial purposes under strict supervision can apply to do so with the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency.

So far, medical professionals and bodies have said that there is no evidence to support the use of ivermectin to treat Covid-19.

Similarly, the European Medicines Agency and the US Food and Drug Administration said that data showing the effectiveness of ivermectin to treat Covid-19 is lacking, and that the drug is not authorised for use in treating Covid-19 outside clinical trials.

Confusion arose over the use of ivermectin for Covid-19 patients, when research papers suggested positive results among patients.

However, these studies were later retracted due to possibly false or insufficient data. – The Vibes, November 11, 2021