Efforts grow to stamp out use of parasite drug for COVID-19
![](https://ktvz.b-cdn.net/2019/11/KTVZ-USworld2.png)
By MATTHEW PERRONE
AP Health Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Health experts and medical groups are pushing to stamp out the growing use of a decades-old parasite drug to treat COVID-19.  Ivermectin is approved in the U.S. to treat infections from tiny worms and other parasites in humans and some animals like cows and horses. But with COVID-19 infections surging again, more Americans are turning to the drug despite warnings that it has shown little benefit and can cause harmful side effects. Federal officials have seen a surge in prescriptions this summer, along with increasing calls to poison control centers and hospitalizations.