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.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Prescriptions for unproven cancer drugs nearly doubled after Mel Gibson’s Joe Rogan appearance, study finds
Mel Gibson told Joe Rogan’s audience in January 2025 that three friends with stage 4 cancer had beaten the disease using ivermectin and fenbendazole. Sixty million people watched. Within weeks, prescriptions for the drug combination nearly doubled nationwide, and rose two and a half times among cancer patients, Fox News Digital reported, citing a new...
Cancer Claims By Movie Icon Sparks Surge in Controversial Drug Use
Comments made by actor and director Mel Gibson on Joe Rogan’s massively popular podcast are now being linked to a sharp rise in prescriptions for controversial, unproven cancer treatments. According to the New York Post, the study examined prescription trends after Gibson appeared on Rogan’s show in January 2025 and claimed that three friends battling Stage 4 cancer had fully recovered after taking a combination of ivermectin and fenbendazole. T…
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...
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 46% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
