Ivermectin Prescriptions Doubled After Mel Gibson Cancer Cure Claim
Researchers found prescriptions for ivermectin and fenbendazole doubled after Mel Gibson’s podcast endorsement, with the biggest increases among cancer patients and men in the South.
- On Tuesday, a JAMA Network Open study revealed prescriptions for ivermectin and benzimidazole doubled from January through July 2025, following an endorsement by actor Mel Gibson.
- Gibson's claims originated during a January 9, 2025, appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, where he stated the antiparasitic drugs cured three friends of stage IV cancer.
- Prescribing rates rose 2.5 times among cancer patients, particularly among white men under 65 in the South, despite no clinical trials supporting the drugs' efficacy against tumors.
- Oncologists expressed concern that patients may delay or forgo conventional treatments for unproven therapies, potentially allowing disease to progress, according to lead author Dr. Michelle Rockwell.
- These findings highlight the influence of celebrity endorsements on health care utilization, which experts say gains traction when institutional trust erodes, necessitating coordinated action to counter misinformation.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Mel Gibson Plugged Ivermectin, and Prescriptions Surged
Mel Gibson's cancer talk on Joe Rogan's podcast may have had a measurable pharmaceutical ripple effect. A new study finds prescriptions for ivermectin and benzimidazole, a class of drugs that includes fenbendazole, roughly doubled from January 2025 to July 2025 compared to the same period a year prior; on a...
Prescriptions for controversial drug shot up 250% for cancer patients after Mel Gibson endorsement
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.
Ivermectin Prescriptions Doubled After Mel Gibson Cancer Cure Claim
Ivermectin prescriptions nearly doubled after Mel Gibson promoted the drug as a cancer cure on a popular podcast, a new JAMA Network Open study finds. Researchers warn that the surge, especially among cancer patients, men, younger adults and Southerners, highlights the dangers of celebrity-driven medical misinformation and delaying proven cancer treatments.
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