From Covid cure claims to tumor labs: Trump Administration's ivermectin gamble
BETHESDA, MARYLAND: It was once hailed online as a miracle pill and condemned by doctors as a dangerous myth. During the pandemic, it became a political symbol as much as a medicine — swallowed by millions, debated on cable news, and promoted by fringe voices as a Covid cure. Years later, that same drug is quietly re-entering the scientific spotlight, this time in cancer research. The move has stunned experts and reignited an old question in a new setting: is this real science, or another gamble shaped by belief rather than biology?
The turning point came when the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), confirmed it is studying ivermectin for potential anti-cancer properties. The institute is led by Dr. Anthony Letai, an appointee from President Donald Trump’s administration. Speaking at a January NIH event alongside NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Letai said public interest played a key role in the decision.
“There are enough reports of it, enough interest in it, that we actually did — ivermectin, in particular — engage in a better preclinical study of its properties and its ability to kill cancer cells,” Letai said.
Bhattacharya added that widespread belief itself forced the agency’s hand:
“If lots of people believe it and it’s moving public health, we as NIH have an obligation to treat it seriously.”
Ivermectin is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat parasitic infections, head lice, and certain skin conditions. It was never approved to treat Covid-19 or cancer. Yet during the pandemic, it exploded in popularity after right-leaning doctors and influencers claimed it cured Covid — despite the absence of reliable human trial evidence.
That political momentum has never fully faded. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic, has repeatedly argued that ivermectin was unfairly suppressed because it is cheap and off-patent. He has claimed that an alliance between government and pharmaceutical companies blocked its use simply because it was not profitable. Conservative commentators and followers of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement have since framed ivermectin as a symbol of rebellion against Big Pharma.
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In laboratories, ivermectin has shown the ability to kill cancer cells in petri dishes and suppress tumors in animals. But experts warn this does not translate to human treatment. Letai himself cautioned against inflated hopes.
“It’s not going to be a cure-all for cancer,” he said. Even if there are anti-cancer signals, he added, “it’s not a really strong signal.”
Still, he acknowledged personal stories from patients:
“This doesn’t rule out individual reports of people having taken it that had a response to their cancer. This doesn’t invalidate their personal experience.”
Some scientists inside the NCI are deeply uneasy. One researcher, speaking on anonymity said:
“I am shocked and appalled. We are moving funds away from so much promising research in order to do a preclinical study based on nonscientific ideas. It’s absurd.”
Outside experts echo the warning. Dr. Jeffery Edenfield, executive medical director of oncology at Prisma Health Cancer Institute, said:
“Many, many, many things work in a test tube. Quite a few things work in a mouse or a monkey. It still doesn’t mean it’s going to work in people.”
Doctors also stress that ivermectin misuse can be dangerous. It is dosed by body weight, and livestock formulations contain much higher concentrations than human versions. Taken without medical supervision, it can cause seizures, coma, liver and kidney damage, and severe drug interactions with antidepressants, sedatives, and blood thinners.
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At Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, doctors reported a teenage cancer patient who took ivermectin after seeing social media claims. He became drowsy, nauseous, stopped eating, and developed kidney failure. Physicians said he arrived in “an altered state… attributed to ivermectin-related neurotoxicity.” His condition improved only after stopping the drug.
The doctors wrote:
“This report aims to raise awareness of medical misinformation often directed at vulnerable patients in the oncology community. Ivermectin is just one contemporary example.”
What makes this moment different is its political weight. Under Trump-appointed leadership and with RFK Jr. amplifying claims of suppression, ivermectin’s move into cancer labs is not just a scientific experiment — it is a cultural one. Supporters see it as proof that outsiders were right all along. Critics fear it signals that public myth can redirect research priorities.
For now, the National Cancer Institute has not said whether its research will be conducted internally or funded externally. About 75 percent of its budget goes to outside investigators.
What is certain is that ivermectin’s journey — from parasite drug to pandemic icon to cancer candidate — reflects the uneasy collision of politics, public belief, and medicine. Whether this gamble leads to discovery or disappointment, it shows how a drug once dismissed as dangerous misinformation has found its way back into America’s most powerful cancer labs.
And this time, the stakes are far higher than a virus.
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