With many who are against COVID-19 vaccines looking for different ways to stop the virus pre-or post-infection, experts have warned that relying on unproven alternative treatments is not safe.
Dr. Michael Osterholm spoke with News Talk 830 WCCO's Chad Hartman to give his opinion on this and why he thinks it can be dangerous.
"We're all searching for the answers about what can most effectively treat COVID," Dr. Osterholm said. "There's no conflict of interest financially [or] scientifically. If somebody told me peanut butter would work, I would support it. If the data supported that, that's the case."
Osterholm shared that when drugs are tested to see if they fight a virus, they are done so blindly, meaning neither the investigator nor the patient knows if they received the medication or placebo until after the trial to remove any potential.
When it comes to certain medications like ivermectin, Osterholm explained that it might not be what is making people better, but rather their natural immune systems.
"There's a lot of people who have gotten better from COVID who've never taken any drug," Osterholm said. "So, of course, there will be those who take ivermectin, for example, that could get better, but that doesn't mean ivermectin caused that to happen."
Osterholm said that if there has not been research on a medication to make sure that it fights COVID-19 and is safe for the person taking it, then the drug should not be used.
"I'm just calling balls and strikes here. What does the data support?" Osterholm said. "There have been multiple, multiple studies to date that have shown that ivermectin has no clinical benefit to patients who get it. The same thing is true for hydroxychloroquine."
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Osterholm said that if data does come out showing that a specific medication helps fight the virus, he would be right there supporting it.
However, when it comes to these claims of medications saving lives, Osterholm does not see any scientific data supporting them to be true.
"That's the challenge we have today; anecdotal data is just that. It's anecdotal," Osterholm said. "It's not real data, and that's what people often use it as."
When it comes to dangers for those who will not take the vaccine but choose to take other drugs, the doctor shared there is a risk of harm.
"We actually have shown that there are toxicities associated with those drugs," Osterholm said.
As for the surefooted anti-vaccine group, Osterholm can not wrap his mind around their thinking.
"I do not for the life of me understand why people will take monoclonal antibodies, they will take the new drugs that have become available, they will take ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, but they won't get vaccinated," Osterholm said. "If you look at the entire scheme of potential impacts on getting infected and having a better outcome, the vaccines are clear and compelling, but on the other hand, these drugs are potentially dangerous, and that's a challenge…logic be damned, it doesn't make a difference."
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