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Florida officials on Sept. 24 announced they are investing $60 million into research into cancer prevention and treatment, with a focus on repurposed drugs such as ivermectin.
Ivermectin—approved as an anti-parasitic—is cheap, typically less than $1 per pill, but that means companies do not have incentive to fund research into other uses due to the lack of possible return on investment (ROI), Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s wife, Casey DeSantis, who’s a cancer survivor, told a press conference in Tampa.
“We’re uniquely positioned to do that because we’re not in it for an ROI from a corporate standpoint. We’re in it for an ROI on behalf of you, the taxpayer, and you who has a family member who’s suffering from cancer.”
Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Florida’s surgeon general, said there is promising pre-clinical data on ivermectin and other drugs against cancer.
“We’re going to be looking at alternative therapies that don’t have an inherent financial model,” he stated.
Ivermectin is approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat parasitic worms. That means it can be used for other purposes, under off-label prescriptions. Ivermectin is also used to treat some problems in animals.
Ivermectin has been used by some doctors to treat COVID-19, although the FDA at one point warned against doing so. That prompted a lawsuit, and the FDA took down some of its social media posts in a settlement.
Dr. Paul Marik is among the doctors who say ivermectin works against cancer.
“This so-called horse dewormer is very effective against certain cancers,” in combination with other drugs, Marik, who authored “Cancer Care: The Role of Repurposed Drugs and Metabolic Interventions in Treating Cancer,” told The Epoch Times in 2024. Research has found that it inhibits cancer cells.
Marik wrote in an online guide to cancer care that “while many in vitro studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of ivermectin against multiple cancers, the reported clinical effectiveness is limited to small case series.” However, he said, it appeared to be used across various countries for cancer.
Some others have cautioned against using ivermectin in cancer care, including a group of doctors in an August review.
“Although various alternative strategies for cancer treatment exist, the lack of rigorous evidence precludes any ethical recommendations of ivermectin in the treatment of gynecologic malignancies,” they wrote.
The investment announced by the DeSantises is part of the Florida Cancer Innovation Fund. The fund is aimed at funding breakthrough cancer research and has already provided $80 million to 95 researchers in the state.
The new $60 million available is “open to a wide range of institutions and researchers, with a focus on preventative nutrition as well as emerging medical treatment options for cancer patients,” the governor said in a statement. “Investing in innovation today means saving lives tomorrow—and that’s why we will continue working to make Florida a beacon of hope in cancer research.”
