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Cancer cure or clickbait? Oncologist weighs in on ivermectin

Nbcwashington · 🇺🇸 public United States · · 657 words · By Erika Gonzalez; Patricia Fantis
Patient Safety Evidence-Based Medicine vs. Anecdotal Claims Medical Misinformation
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What to know about Patient Safety

It's a controversial drug that was once touted as a cure for COVID-19 despite no evidence to show it actually worked.

Claims checked 11
Techniques found 1
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left17%
Center66%
Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

It's a controversial drug that was once touted as a cure for COVID-19 despite no evidence to show it actually worked.

Why it matters

Now, prescriptions for ivermectin are soaring — this time for cancer.

Common ground

Some doctors say the hype is outpacing the science, and many worry about the impact it could have on cancer patients.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/health/cancer-cure-or-clickbait-an-oncologist…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 11 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5
verified Verified By Reference 3
schedule Pending 1
help Insufficient Evidence 1
verified Verified 1
verified
Claim 1: “The episode went viral, with more than 13 million views on YouTube”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While sources confirm the episode exists and sparked interest, none of the provided evidence specifically mentions the '13 million views' figure.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Melanie Lee Robbins (née Schneeberger; born October 6, 1968) is an American author, podcast host, and lawyer. Robbins gained recognition for her TEDx talk, How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over. Her book…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Robbins
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Joe Rogan Experience is a podcast hosted by American comedian, presenter, and UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. It was initiated on December 24, 2009, on YouTube by Rogan and comedian Brian Redban,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Joe_Rogan_Experience
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One is an upcoming American epic biblical drama film directed by Mel Gibson from a script he co-wrote with Randall Wallace, and based on the story he wrote with hi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Resurrection_of_the_Christ…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 2: “it's a popular dewormer for horses.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (KTRK, CNN, and general web results) confirm ivermectin is commonly used as a dewormer for horses.
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web search NEUTRAL — Horse dewormer as a COVID treatment puzzles pet stores. HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The U.S. Federal Drug Administration is sending out a major warning about a parasite treatment often used in animals af…
https://abc13.com/post/ivermectin-horse-medicine-covid-treat…
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web search NEUTRAL — Ivermectin is often used in the US to treat or prevent parasites in animals, according to the FDA, and is commonly used as a dewormer for horses. Why are people taking Ivermectin to treat COVID?
https://www.yahoo.com/news/ivermectin-cure-covid-horse-de-wo…
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web search NEUTRAL — They did not simply note, as Lemon claimed, that ivermectin "is used as a horse dewormer." Honest reporting would have differentiated between what Rogan took — not animal medication — and the version …
https://www.theblaze.com/news/mary-katharine-ham-cnn-rogan-h…
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Claim 3: “prescriptions for ivermectin are soaring — this time for cancer.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent news sources (News.az, Cancer Health) report that ivermectin prescriptions increased/doubled following Mel Gibson's comments regarding cancer treatment.
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web search NEUTRAL — The researchers cannot conclude whether the increase in ivermectin prescriptions was primarily due to Gibson’s endorsement. They also cannot say whether the prescriptions were filled or used by patien…
https://www.cancerhealth.com/article/let-mel-gibson-joe-roga…
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web search NEUTRAL — Prescriptions for the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin nearly doubled in the United States following comments by actor Mel Gibson promoting its off-label use as a cancer treatment, according to a new st…
https://news.az/news/ivermectin-prescriptions-rise-after-mel…
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web search NEUTRAL — Ivermectin cream (Soolantra) is FDA-approved to treat rosacea, and ivermectin lotion (Sklice) is a treatment for head lice. Ivermectin tablets have also been used off-label for scabies and other paras…
https://www.drugs.com/ivermectin.html
verified
Claim 4: “According to the American Cancer Society, they're based on early studies of ivermectin’s effects on animals and on cancer cells in petri dishes in a laboratory.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of generic Wikipedia entries for the American Cancer Society and other unrelated topics; no specific statement from the ACS regarding ivermectin's animal/petri dish studies is present in the evidence.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. The ACS publishes the journals Cancer, CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians and Cancer Cytopat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Cancer_Society
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Canadian Cancer Society (French: Société canadienne du cancer) is Canada's largest national cancer charity and the largest national charitable funder of cancer research in Canada.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Cancer_Society
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The history of cancer describes the development of the field of oncology and its role in the history of medicine. It also covers its role in the history of public health, of hospitals, and social and …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_cancer
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 5: “Both the FDA and the American Cancer Society do not recommend ivermectin for treating cancer.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 6: “The National Cancer Institute plans to study ivermectin for the treatment of cancer”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The evidence provided includes general Wikipedia entries for the National Cancer Institute, but does not mention any specific plans to study ivermectin for cancer treatment.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI) is a cancer care hospital and research institute and one of the 27 regional cancer centres in India. It is located in Kolkata near Jatin Das Park metro s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chittaranjan_National_Cancer_I…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI) is a peer-reviewed medical journal covering research in oncology that was established in August 1940. It is published monthly by Oxford University P…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journal_of_the_National_Cancer…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the U…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Cancer_Institute
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Claim 7: “When they're used in high doses, they can actually cause severe neuropathy or even seizures”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided for this claim in the search results.
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Claim 8: “a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows prescriptions for ivermectin have more than doubled among cancer patients.”
CORROBORATED
Yahoo News UK and Newswise both report a study (associated with JAMA Network/UCLA) stating ivermectin prescriptions for cancer patients doubled.
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web search NEUTRAL — A report published by the JAMA Network found that ivermectin prescriptions for cancer patients doubled between January and July 2025. Researchers also found that white southern males were most likely …
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/rising-number-cancer-patients-skip…
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web search NEUTRAL — Prescriptions for the anti-parasite medication ivermectin doubled in the months following an endorsement by a celebrity during a high-profile podcast as an off-label cancer treatment, a UCLA-led study…
https://medicaldialogues.in/oncology/news/celebrity-podcast-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Newswise — Prescriptions for the anti-parasite medication ivermectin doubled in the months following an endorsement by a celebrity during a high-profile podcast as an off-label cancer treatment, a UCL…
https://www.newswise.com/articles/ivermectin-prescriptions-m…
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Claim 9: “actor Mel Gibson went on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast and said that his friends with cancer took ivermectin and fenbendazole.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm Mel Gibson appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience and discussed friends using ivermectin and fenbendazole for cancer.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One is an upcoming American epic biblical drama film directed by Mel Gibson from a script he co-wrote with Randall Wallace, and based on the story he wrote with hi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Resurrection_of_the_Christ…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. The recipient of multiple accolades, he is known for directing historical films as well for his action hero role…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Gibson
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Passion of the Christ is an American multi-language film series consisting of epic biblical drama movies, based on the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as presented in the Bible. The film s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Passion_of_the_Christ_(fil…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 10: “Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center are doing a clinical trial evaluating ivermectin combined with immunotherapy for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (NCT05318469, North Trials) specifically identify a Phase I/II trial at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center evaluating ivermectin combined with immunotherapy for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a 919-bed teaching hospital and research center in Los Angeles, California. It is part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, which includes other hospitals and a network o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedars-Sinai_Medical_Center
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald Cameron Dafoe (born November 22, 1949) is an American transplant surgeon and research scientist active in California.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Dafoe
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (also commonly referred to as UCLA Medical Center, RRMC or Ronald Reagan) is a hospital located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), in …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan_UCLA_Medical_Cen…
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 11: “Ivermectin is FDA-approved to treat parasitic infections in humans”
VERIFIED
Wikipedia and Drugs.com confirm ivermectin is used/approved for parasitic infections in humans (e.g., head lice, scabies).
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web search NEUTRAL — Ivermectin is also used to treat infection with parasitic arthropods. Scabies – infestation with the mite Sarcoptes scabiei – is most commonly treated with topical permethrin or oral ivermectin.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivermectin
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web search NEUTRAL — Some medications to treat parasitic infections in humans are available OTC, and others require a prescription. Certain forms of ivermectin, such as a topical treatment for head lice, are available OTC…
https://www.webmd.com/drugs/what-is-ivermectin
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Ivermectin cream (Soolantra) is FDA-approved to treat rosacea, and ivermectin lotion (Sklice) is a treatment for head lice. Ivermectin tablets have also been used off-label for scabies and other paras…
https://www.drugs.com/ivermectin.html
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.