Ivermectin

The new leader of the CDC’s flagship vaccine advisory group recently claimed that Covid-19 vaccines were responsible for a rise in cancer cases, and that the vast majority of women who get the vaccine in their first trimester have miscarriages. The comments by Kirk Milhoan, who serves as chairman of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, were made at a Texas church and posted on YouTube in October. Milhoan also compared pandemic-era vaccination record cards to Jews who were forced to wear specific armbands during the Holocaust. “And what they said is, if you didn’t get the vaccine, then you were dirty, right? So that brings up all the issues of what happened when the Jews had to wear the yellow Star of David, right? They were the dirty ones,” he said in the video. Reached by Endpoints News on Monday, Milhoan did not dispute the authenticity of the video. In the recording, Milhoan also claimed that women who receive Covid-19 vaccines in their first trimester “have an 80% chance of miscarrying.” No such link has been established. Milhoan told Endpoints that the statistic about miscarriages came from an article in the New England Journal of Medicine . Other articles published in the NEJM around that time indicated that the risk of miscarriage by women taking the vaccine was within normal rates. Christopher Zahn, head of clinical practice at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, called the comments about miscarriages “irresponsible and dangerous,” and said they could cause women to avoid vaccination. “It is disappointing and disarming to see the new chair of an advisory panel about vaccination spreading lies and falsehoods,” Zahn said in a statement to Endpoints. Milhoan is a pediatric cardiologist who was appointed to ACIP in September and participated in his first meeting later that month. The video appears to be from an event held on Oct. 8 , according to another recording, after Milhoan’s service on the CDC committee began. Milhoan also suggested in the video that DNA contamination levels in the Covid-19 vaccines are behind rising cancer rates. “I think the biggest threat to humanity right now is the mRNA platform,” Milhoan said in the video. Like other members named to ACIP by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Milhoan is a staunch vaccine skeptic and critic of the Covid-19 vaccines. He’s a senior fellow at the Independent Medical Alliance, a group that pushed for the use of unproven treatments during the pandemic, including ivermectin. He’s also the co-founder of For Hearts and Souls, a Christian missionary organization that helps screen patients and perform surgeries in less wealthy parts of the world. Milhoan is taking over leadership of ACIP after the previous chair, Martin Kulldorff, accepted a permanent position with HHS as the new chief scientific officer of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation , an internal research arm at the department. Kulldorff is a former Harvard professor who criticized lockdown measures during the Covid-19 pandemic, co-authoring the Great Barrington Declaration with NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, which advocated for looser restrictions for most people. The next ACIP meeting begins Thursday, part of a two-day event that is slated to include discussions on the childhood vaccine schedule, vaccine ingredients and the hepatitis B birth dose. Robert Malone, another popular vaccine skeptic, remains the committee’s vice chair. Editor’s note: This story was updated to include a statement from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

November 17, 2025 6:45 am EST Extension of Mectizan Donation for Triple Therapy Advances Fight Against Lymphatic Filariasis Through 2030 RAHWAY, N.J., November 17, 2025 – Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, is extending the donation of up to 100 million ivermectin treatments annually through 2030, reinforcing its longstanding commitment to the global elimination of lymphatic filariasis (LF) through the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended triple drug therapy strategy. This renewed pledge is driven by the strong progress reported by the WHO, including the milestone achievement of Timor-Leste becoming the first country in 2024 to eliminate LF using this approach. “By extending our commitment, we aim to ensure that national LF elimination programs in endemic countries continue to have reliable access to the treatments needed to protect vulnerable populations and strengthen health systems,” said Robert M. Davis, chairman and chief executive officer, Merck. “This work is essential to achieving the WHO’s Neglected Tropical Disease Road Map, which targets global elimination by 2030.” Merck’s donation supports the co-administration of ivermectin (Mectizan), diethylcarbamazine and albendazole — commonly referred to as “triple therapy” — in countries where onchocerciasis (river blindness) is not co-endemic. LF, also known as elephantiasis, is a mosquito-borne parasitic disease that severely damages the lymphatic system. It can lead to extreme swelling of the limbs and genitals, resulting in lifelong disability, pain and social stigma. “WHO is deeply grateful to Merck for its generosity and solidarity with communities affected by LF," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “In a time of declining resources for global health, in-kind commitments and public-private partnerships are more important than ever. These partnerships have brought us so far in the fight against LF and are the foundation for eliminating many neglected tropical diseases. Together, we can finish the job.” Merck first pledged in 1987 to provide Mectizan for the treatment of river blindness, a leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide, transmitted through the bite of black flies that breed near fast-flowing streams and rivers, for as much as needed, as long as needed. The Mectizan Donation Program was established that same year as an independent body to oversee Merck’s donation. In 1998, the program expanded to support LF elimination in African countries and Yemen, where LF and river blindness are co-endemic. In 2017, Merck further strengthened its support by adding up to 100 million additional treatments annually through 2025 to accelerate LF elimination with triple therapy. Research shows that the use of triple therapy reduces the parasites in the blood significantly longer than two-drug regimens, requiring fewer number of treatment rounds needed to interrupt LF transmission. The new five-year extension builds on demonstrated success in countries implementing triple therapy to eliminate LF. Once endemic in 72 countries, LF has now been eliminated as a public health threat in 21 countries across five WHO regions, with the disease remaining endemic and requiring mass treatment in just 39 countries. To date, Merck has donated more than 5 billion Mectizan treatments to 62 countries, resulting in the successful elimination of river blindness or LF in nine countries by incorporating Mectizan into national public health strategies. In addition, more than 340 million people no longer require treatment in subnational regions of several African countries as disease transmission is believed to have been eliminated. About the Mectizan® Donation Program The Mectizan Donation Program (MDP) was established at the Task Force for Global Health in 1987 to provide medical, technical and administrative oversight of the donation of MECTIZAN® by Merck for the treatment of onchocerciasis. In 1998, the MDP expanded its mandate to include coordination of the donation of albendazole by GSK to be distributed in conjunction with Mectizan for the elimination of lymphatic filariasis in onchocerciasis co-endemic areas. In 2017 the mandate was further extended to oversee the donation of Mectizan for IDA in eligible countries. About Merck At Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, we are unified around our purpose: We use the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. For more than 130 years, we have brought hope to humanity through the development of important medicines and vaccines. We aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world – and today, we are at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions that advance the prevention and treatment of diseases in people and animals. We foster a diverse and inclusive global workforce and operate responsibly every day to enable a safe, sustainable and healthy future for all people and communities. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. Forward-Looking statement of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (the “company”) includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; the company’s ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company’s patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 and the company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov). Media Contacts: John Cummins john.cummins2@merck.com Ned Ehrbar ned.ehrbar@merck.com Investor Contacts: Peter Dannenbaum (732) 594-1579 Steven Graziano (732) 594-1583