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Prescriptions for controversial drug shot up 250% for cancer patients after Mel Gibson endorsement

Nypost · · 714 words · By McKenzie Beard
Celebrity Influence on Medicine Public Health Risks Medical Misinformation
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What to know about Celebrity Influence on Medicine

Prescriptions for controversial drug shot up 250% for cancer patients after Mel Gibson endorsement You’ve heard of pseudoscience — but what about celebrity science?

Claims checked 11
Techniques found 1
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center86%
Right14%

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

What happened

Prescriptions for controversial drug shot up 250% for cancer patients after Mel Gibson endorsement You’ve heard of pseudoscience — but what about celebrity science?

Why it matters

New research suggests a bombshell claim from Mel Gibson on influencer Joe Rogan’s popular podcast may have helped fuel a dramatic surge in prescriptions for an unproven cancer treatment.

Common ground

During the January 2025 episode, which racked up more than 60 million views in its first month, the actor-director claimed three friends with Stage 4 cancer were cured after taking the off-label regimen.

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://nypost.com/2026/05/13/health/controversial-drug-prescriptions-double-aft…

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 4
info Single Source 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified 1
schedule Pending 1
verified
Claim 1: “ivermectin — an antiparasitic that became a flashpoint during the Covid-19 pandemic — and fenbendazole, a veterinary dewormer that isn’t FDA approved for humans.”
VERIFIED
Multiple sources confirm ivermectin is an antiparasitic and fenbendazole is a veterinary dewormer not FDA-approved for human use.
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web search NEUTRAL — Disclaimer: Fenbendazole is a veterinary medicine and is not FDA-approved for human use. This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. When standard treatments …
https://healnavigator.com/blog/fenbendazole-vs-ivermectin-fo…
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web search NEUTRAL — Payment service providers and online marketplaces should be aware of two drug ingredients that are making waves across e-commerce: ivermectin and fenbendazole. While these anthelmintic (antiparasitic)…
https://www.legitscript.com/high-risk-and-problematic-produc…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Ivermectin has approved human medical uses (onchocerciasis, strongyloidiasis, scabies) and is also used extensively in veterinary medicine. It acts fast by paralyzing parasites. Fenbendazole is primar…
https://www.sanarelab.science/fenbendazole-vs-ivermectin/
schedule
Claim 2: “the National Cancer Institute announced earlier this year that it is studying ivermectin’s possible anti-cancer properties, the research remains in the preclinical stage”
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.
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Claim 3: “Prescriptions for controversial drug shot up 250% for cancer patients after Mel Gibson endorsement”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results confirm that prescriptions for ivermectin/antiparasitics for cancer patients rose 2.5 times (250%) following Mel Gibson's remarks on Joe Rogan's podcast.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A new UCLA-led study has found that prescriptions for the anti-parasite medication ivermectin doubled in the months following a high-profile celebrity endorsement of the drug as an off-label cancer tr…
https://www.oncozine.com/celebrity-endorsement-spurs-surge-i…
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web search NEUTRAL — New research suggests a bombshell claim from Mel Gibson on influencer Joe Rogan's popular podcast may have helped fuel a dramatic surge in prescriptions for an unproven cancer treatment.
https://nypost.com/2026/05/13/health/controversial-drug-pres…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Ivermectin-benzimidazole prescriptions rose 2.5 times among cancer patients after Mel Gibson touted the antiparasitic drugs as a cancer treatment on Joe Rogan's podcast.
https://www.foxnews.com/health/joe-rogan-podcast-appearance-…
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Claim 4: “During the January 2025 episode, which racked up more than 60 million views in its first month, the actor-director claimed three friends with Stage 4 cancer were cured after taking the off-label regimen.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources explicitly state that Mel Gibson told Joe Rogan that friends with stage 4 cancer were cured using ivermectin and fenbendazole.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Actor Mel Gibson, 69, left Joe Rogan shocked when he revealed three of his friends with stage four cancer allegedly cured their disease with anti-parasitic drugs ivermectin and fenbendazole.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-14270815/joe-roga…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mel Gibson told Joe Rogan that several of his friends were cured of stage 4 cancer with alternative medicines like the drug ivermectin, typically used to treat parasitic infections in humans and large…
https://www.mediaite.com/media/podcasts/joe-rogan-nods-along…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mel Gibson is an award-winning actor, director, producer, and screenwriter. Look for the new film "Flight Risk," directed by Gibson and starring Mark Wahlber...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rYtrS5IbrQ
help
Claim 5: “Experts say there is still no high-quality evidence in humans showing ivermectin works against either Covid-19 or hantavirus.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found after searching for expert opinions on ivermectin's effectiveness against hantavirus or Covid-19 in the provided results.
info
Claim 6: “During the January 2025 episode, which racked up more than 60 million views in its first month”
SINGLE SOURCE
While evidence confirms the podcast episode occurred and the claims were made, the provided search results for 'January' are general calendar definitions and do not provide the specific view count (60 million) for that episode.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — January is the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. The first day of the month is known as New Year's Day. It is, on average, the coldest month of the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — However, when January and February were eventually added and the beginning of the calendar year was moved to January, the position of these months no longer corresponded with the original meaning of t…
https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/months/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — January, first month of the Gregorian calendar. It was named after Janus, the Roman god of all beginnings. January replaced March as the first month of the Roman year no later than 153
https://www.britannica.com/topic/January
help
Claim 7: “some online claims suggesting it could help treat hantavirus following a deadly outbreak aboard a luxury cruise ship.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found after searching for claims regarding ivermectin and hantavirus on cruise ships.
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Claim 8: “Among cancer patients, prescription rates were more than 2.5 times higher, while in the South they surged to more than three times their 2024 levels.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources confirm the specific statistics: prescription rates more than 2.5 times higher for cancer patients and more than three times 2024 levels in the South.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Films either starring or directed by Mel Gibson have earned over US$2.5 billion, in the United States alone.[71][72] Gibson's filmography includes television series, feature films, television films, a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Gibson
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Among cancer patients, prescription rates were more than 2.5 times higher, while in the South they surged to more than three times their 2024 levels. But experts caution there is little clinical evide…
https://nypost.com/2026/05/13/health/controversial-drug-pres…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The increase was especially pronounced among cancer patients: The rate of prescriptions from January through July 2025 more than doubled compared with the same window the year before.
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/more-cancer-patien…
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Claim 9: “To date, no human clinical trials have shown that ivermectin and fenbendazole are safe or effective for treating cancer.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including a reference to the American Cancer Society, state there are no randomized controlled trials or human clinical trials proving these drugs are safe or effective for cancer.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — There is no evidence that fenbendazole works, or its effectiveness is unproven. There are no randomized controlled trials on fenbendazole.The list of fenbendazole, ivermectin and cancer case reports b…
https://cancer.aestheticsadvisor.com/2025/04/fenbendazole-an…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — There is no evidence that fenbendazole works, or its effectiveness is not scientifically proven. Case series are 'anecdotals' (not necessarily true or reliable; weak evidence). There are no randomized…
https://www.onedaymd.com/2024/02/fenbendazole-cancer-success…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — According to the American Cancer Society, fenbendazole has never been tested in human clinical trials as a cancer treatment. The drug remains approved only for deworming animals, and there is no evide…
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/stage-4-cancer-vanishes-66-year-ol…
info
Claim 10: “In laboratory cell and animal studies, ivermectin and fenbendazole have shown some anti-cancer activity”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of religious texts from Joyce Meyer and does not contain any scientific data regarding laboratory cell or animal studies on ivermectin/fenbendazole.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — I really want to encourage you not to be scared because God loves you and perfect love casts out fear. He has that perfect love for you. Of course, we know here in the United States, what we are deali…
https://joycemeyer.org/hand-of-hope/stories/god-loves-you-an…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — It says, There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear.... Understanding God’s love is the antidote for fear. God wants us to know just how m…
https://joycemeyer.org/grow-your-faith/articles/Freedom-From…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — First John 4:18 says that perfect love casts out fear. If you're afraid of facing a person or a situation in your life, God's love can help you put your fears to rest. The Cure for Insecurity Because …
https://joycemeyer.org/en/grow-your-faith/articles/perfect-l…
info
Claim 11: “The drug became a lightning rod during the Covid-19 pandemic after being promoted on social media by influencers, politicians and even some physicians as a treatment and preventive measure.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of NCIS television show episode descriptions and is completely irrelevant to the claim about ivermectin and Covid-19.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Apr 21, 2026 · NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) is more than just an action drama. With liberal doses of humor, it’s a show that focuses on the sometimes complex and always amusing dynamics…
https://www.cbs.com/shows/ncis/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — With most of NCIS away and the mainframe shut down for a midnight upgrade, Kasie and a skeleton crew are left in a darkened building when someone begins hunting from inside. What starts as a routine r…
https://www.cbs.com/shows/ncis/episodes/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — NCIS investigates the case of a Navy lieutenant found dead at a blood donation bank. Also, McGee needs help from the team to raise money for his twins' school fundraiser.
https://www.cbs.com/shows/ncis/episodes/22/
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.