The National Cancer Institute is studying ivermectin as a potential cancer treatment, according to Anthony Letai, the physician appointed as NCI director in September. Letai said there are enough reports and interest in the antiparasitic drug that the institute engaged in preclinical study of its properties and its ability to kill cancer cells, with results expected in a few months.
Letai did not cite new evidence that prompted the institute to research the drug’s effectiveness against cancer. Ivermectin is largely used to treat parasitic infections in people and animals, and is a popular dewormer for horses. During the COVID pandemic, ivermectin’s popularity surged as fringe medical groups promoted it as an effective treatment, though clinical trials found it isn’t effective against COVID.
Previous laboratory research has shown that ivermectin could have anticancer effects because it promotes cell death and inhibits tumor cell growth. However, there is no evidence that ivermectin is safe and effective in treating cancer in humans. Preliminary data from a small clinical trial that gave ivermectin to patients with one type of metastatic breast cancer in combination with immunotherapy found no significant benefit from the addition of ivermectin.
Some physicians are concerned that patients will delay or forgo effective cancer treatments if they believe unfounded claims about ivermectin. According to Jeffery Edenfield, executive medical director of oncology for Prisma Health Cancer Institute, cancer patients ask him about ivermectin regularly, mostly because of what they see on social media. He said he persuaded a patient to stop using it, and a colleague recently had a patient who decided to forgo highly effective standard therapy in favor of ivermectin. A June letter from clinicians at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital detailed how an adolescent patient with metastatic bone cancer started taking ivermectin after encountering social media posts touting its benefits, and experienced ivermectin-related neurotoxicity requiring emergency care.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.timesheraldonline.com/2026/02/17/us-cancer-institute-studying-ivermectins-ability-to-kill-cancer-cells/