During the January 2025 episode, which racked up more than 60 million views in its first month, the actor-director claimed three friends with Stage 4 cancer were cured after taking the off-label regimen.<\/p>\n
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Actor-director Mel Gibson appeared on \u201cThe Joe Rogan Experience\u201d on January 9, 2025. YouTube \/ PowerfulJRE<\/p>\n
The controversial drugs at the center of the frenzy were ivermectin \u2014 an antiparasitic that became a flashpoint<\/a> during the Covid-19 pandemic \u2014 and fenbendazole, a veterinary dewormer that isn\u2019t FDA approved for humans. Gibson claimed all three of his friends no longer had the disease \u201cat all\u201d after taking the medications.<\/p>\n In the months after his remarks, prescriptions for the combination jumped, with the steepest increases among young men, white patients and those in the South. Among cancer patients, prescription rates were more than 2.5 times higher, while in the South they surged to more than three times their 2024 levels.<\/p>\n But experts caution there is little clinical evidence to support the drugs for this use.<\/p>\n In laboratory cell and animal studies, ivermectin<\/a> and fenbendazole<\/a> have shown some anti-cancer activity \u2014 but the doses required for even a modest effect would typically be considered toxic in humans, according to Dr. Skyler B. Johnson of the University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute.<\/p>\n Johnson, who was not involved in the study, told CIDRAP News<\/a> he is also concerned ivermectin could interfere with how the body processes cancer treatments and other medications.<\/p>\n To date, no human clinical trials have shown that ivermectin and fenbendazole are safe or effective for treating cancer.<\/p>\n The study\u2019s authors sounded the alarm that following unproven advice could cost them their lives.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a primary care doctor, I want my patients and people across the country to have the chance to get treatments we know can help them live longer, healthier lives,\u201d Dr. John N. Mafi, senior author of the UCLA-led study, said in a press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n Following Gibson\u2019s endorsement, prescriptions for the controversial drug ivermectin skyrocketed nationwide. Jeffrey Daly \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n \u201cWhen prescribing for an unproven cancer treatment more than doubles after a single podcast, especially among men and people in the South, it raises a concern that patients may be skipping or delaying treatments we know work in favor of something that hasn\u2019t been proven to help them,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n Co-author Dr. Katherine Kahn, a professor of medicine at UCLA, stressed that \u201cnot all widely shared health information is accurate, even when it comes from familiar or influential sources.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUsing unproven treatments can carry real risks, especially if it delays care that is known to work,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The researchers stressed that the study does not prove the podcast directly caused the spike in prescriptions.<\/p>\n It also remains unclear whether patients were taking the drugs alongside standard cancer treatments \u2014 or instead of therapies such as chemotherapy or radiation.<\/p>\n The increases were largest among men, White patients, those in the US south and people with cancer. JAMA Network<\/p>\n But the findings add to growing concerns among doctors over ivermectin\u2019s off-label use.<\/p>\n The drug became a lightning rod during the Covid-19 pandemic after being promoted on social media by influencers<\/a>, politicians<\/a> and even some physicians as a treatment and preventive measure<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now ivermectin is once again back in the headlines, with some online claims suggesting it could help treat hantavirus<\/a> following a deadly outbreak aboard a luxury cruise ship.<\/p>\n Experts say there is still no high-quality evidence in humans showing ivermectin works against either Covid-19 or hantavirus.<\/p>\n![\"Following](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/84d8db27cf1041a54ae9c93343295327.jpeg\"\/)
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