PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A doctor who worked at Phoenixville and Pottstown hospitals has been fired for allegedly mass-prescribing ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19.
Following the allegations reported by ABC 27 on Wednesday, Tower Health confirmed that Dr. Edith Bahr was let go.
According to Tower Health, Behr was a licensed doctor and surgeon, per the Pennsylvania Department of State.
Tower Health Medical Group released a statement on Friday saying Behr failed to meet requirements for prescribing medications for unintended or approved purposes.
“We investigated the matter and, as a result, Dr. Behr’s employment with Tower Health Medical Group has been terminated effective immediately,” Tower Health said.
The accusations against Behr were tied to a Facebook Live video on the Taste of Sicily Facebook page, a restaurant based in Palmyra, Lebanon County. A woman on the video referred to a doctor that could get people access to "H" and "I" to treat COVID-19 instead of the FDA-approved vaccines.
“A Taste of Sicily in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania is actually a back door for prescription written by a mysterious doctor for COVID,” a TikTok user named “Danesh” alleged, according to ABC 27.
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Both ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19. Tower Health reiterated the FDA's previous statements that ivermectin should not be used to prevent or treat COVID-19 infection.
Ivermectin is approved by the FDA to treat head lice and infections caused by parasitic worms, not COVID-19. While hydroxychloroquine is approved to treat or prevent malaria and autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, the FDA has said it is also not safe to be used as a treatment for COVID-19.