Covid-struck Laurence Fox says people likening controversial treatment Ivermectin to a horse de-wormer are racist - because millions of Af...
Covid-struck Laurence Fox says people likening controversial treatment Ivermectin to a horse de-wormer are racist - because millions of Africans take it.
Fox, 43, hit out after being ribbed over his use of the tablets, which is an anti-parasitic medicine usually prescribed to treat humans and animals for scabies, head lice and worms.
But the actor-turned-activist said he had bought 'a load of it' in Mexico before coming back to the UK after reading of its potential Covid treating ability.
Four days ago he caught coronavirus after wearing a tee shirt declaring he did not need a vaccine.
It was then he revealed he was battling symptoms with hot toddies, over-the-counter medication and Ivermectin.
The announcement saw him mocked online, with many pointing out one of the uses of the drug is to de-worm horses.
But after yesterday learning of a Japanese pharmaceuticals company report which found it showed an anti-viral effect against Omicron, he railed against his tormentors.
In a video posted online, Fox said: 'I didn’t buy it from a horse farm or veterinarian, I bought it from a pharmacist.
'It’s called Ivermctin and it’s also known to have anti-viral properties. I would suggest that the fact I felt like death on Saturday and I bit of Sunday and now I feel fine that might have played some part.
'Some Twitter doctor, I can’t remember her name, she should probably spend more time in hospital than being a Twitter doctor, is calling something a horse dewormer that you are buying from a pharmacist, actually that’s racist.
'It’s really racist to turn round and go “yeah well hundreds of millions of Africans take it, but it’s just a horse dewormer”.
'It just goes to show how us privileged Western elites feel that we are so above anything and we can get a vaccine for everything, which you can’t.
'I’m really sorry I didn’t die for all my friends on Twitter who said how much they really wanted me to die over the past few days.'
Fox was confident on January 26 that he did not need a vaccine, according to that day's T-shirt
A pharmacist holds the anti-parasite drug ivermectin for sale to the public with a medical prescription as Bolivia's Ministry of Health said it could be used for treating Covid
The actor was mocked yesterday for revealing he was taking ivermectin, Panadol and ibuprofen to relieve his symptoms.
Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic medicine used to treat humans and animals for scabies, head lice and worms.
It has been prescribed billions of times worldwide and is listed as one of the World Health Organization's essential medicines list.
Figures from last year show over 400 million people were treated with treated with it in 2019, mostly in Africa.
But despite showing promise against Covid in dozens of studies, ivermectin has been mired in controversy after being hailed as a miracle medicine by vaccine sceptics.
It is already used in around 20 countries to treat the virus — including swathes of Latin America and parts of Europe, such as Greece, Bulgaria and Slovakia.
But there have been questions over the reliability of trial data and regulators in the US, UK and EU say there is still no conclusive evidence.
Famous advocates of ivermectin include unvaccinated US podcast host Joe Rogan, who attributed his rapid Covid recovery to the drug.
He said controversial drug Ivermectin had helped him recover and get 'pretty much back to normal'
And he hit back at critics who wished that he would die when he announced he had the virus
After catching Covid he said he turned to whisky and honey for hot toddies to battle symptoms
Mr Fox posted a picture of his new T-shirt as he said he was recovering from Covid infection
On Sunday night Fox posted a picture of a bottle of Jack Daniels and honey and called it 'the final piece of the puzzle'.
Fox - who described catching coronavirus as 'A visit from Lord Covid' - said in a video online: 'I don't often read the replies to my tweets but I saw that there were loads of them.
'The thing that made me laugh the most – the absolute most – was people criticising me for taking Panadol and Ibrupofen while saying my immune system 'I thought you had an immune system mate'.
'So I just want to give a huge shout out to those who whenever they get a bit ill are willing to take a total novel brand new technology mRNA treatment with absolutely no data ahead of medications that have been prescribed by billions and billions of times across the world.
Mr Fox posted a picture of his lateral flow test on his public Twitter which showed his result
After he was mocked by some social media users he posted a video in response to some
In the one-and-a-half minute clip he gave a mocking shout-out to those who had got the jab
'I feel a bit man flu-y but that's only to be expected because you know men whinge more.
'But you know I am going to fight this and to you brave vaccine guinea pigs, I fully commend you and your desire not to take Panadol ever again or Ibruprofen, because that's some dangerous sh** - you stick to the vaccines.'
Fox also revealed he is taking ivermectin and alluded to buying it over-the-counter in Mexico.
He wrote on Twitter: 'Not only do you only have to sign a form saying you feel well to get into Mexico, but you can also buy drugs like ivermectin over the counter that the vaccinaholics don't want you to get hold of here. I'm so happy to be joining the natural immunity club. Going to have a nap.'
There has been much debate about the effectiveness of ivermectin during the pandemic after it was hailed as vaccine sceptics as a miracle cure.
The hype started early in the pandemic when ivermectin was shown to destroy the virus in lab studies.
Several dozen trials have also indicated that the pills may have some value in the pandemic - either by using them on patients with Covid, or as a preventative.
But, according to a BBC investigation last year, around a third of studies advocating ivermectin's use were seriously flawed or biased in some way, making the results unreliable.
Reviews by health authorities in the US, UK and EU have found there is insufficient evidence for using the drug against Covid.
The first double-blind, gold-standard clinical trial into ivermectin is currently being carried out in Oxford, as part of the PRINCIPLE trial.
Definitive results on the drug are expected this year.
Currently in the UK, health watchdogs do not recommend any clinicians prescribe the drug but, as a safe and approved medicine, it can be obtained privately.
Fox recently got engaged to prep school teacher Arabella Fleetwood Neagle, 28.
Miss Fleetwood Neagle apparently supports his political campaigning as she was pictured alongside him on the top deck of his Reclaim Party's battle bus during his unsuccessful bid to become London Mayor last year.
Fox – whose acting dynasty includes his father James and cousin Emilia – was dropped by his agent in 2020 after a string of social media comments.
Last year he said he could remove his children from school over his opposition to the Covid vaccination programme.
He said he would educate them at home rather than let them be vaccinated without his consent.
Fox shares custody of his boys with Miss Piper, whom he divorced in 2016.
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