Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance

Last updated

Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance
AbbreviationFLCCC
FormationMarch 2020
Presidents
 Pierre Kory, Paul E. Marik
Website www.covid19criticalcare.com

The Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) is a group of physicians and former journalists formed in April 2020 that has advocated for various unapproved, dubious, and ineffective treatments (e.g. hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, and other miscellaneous combinations of drugs and vitamins) for COVID-19. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Their website spoke favorably about the injections, saying Ivermectin should not replace, but "be thought of as complementary bridge to vaccination until the vaccines are made available to all those in need." [7] The group is led by Paul E. Marik and Pierre Kory. [3] Both would later join conservative or right-wing groups promoting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and misinformation.

Contents

The World Health Organization, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and European Medicines Agency advise against the use of ivermectin for COVID-19 outside of clinical trials, but the FLCCC has contended that ivermectin could reduce viral load and accelerate recovery in patients. [8] [9] [10]

History

The FLCCC was founded by eight physicians and two former journalists in April 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. [3] According to its co-president, Paul E. Marik, the group has a shared interest in vitamin C. [2]

The group initially started promoting Marik's discredited sepsis treatment protocol as a treatment for COVID-19, and in April 2020 it circulated press releases promoting vitamin C, heparin, hydroxychloroquine and other drugs, before pivoting to ivermectin promotion in October 2020. [3]

In November 2021 the Journal of Intensive Care Medicine retracted a paper written by Pierre Kory, Marik, and others. The retraction was triggered when it was found the paper misreported the mortality figures of people treated for COVID-19 with the FLCCC's "MATH+" protocol, falsely making it appear to be an effective treatment. [11] [12]

In August 2023 both Kory and Marik were informed by the American Board of Internal Medicine that their board certifications were to be revoked for "spreading false or inaccurate medical information". [13] [14] As of June 2024, Kory continues to be listed as "certified" by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Advocacy of ivermectin for COVID-19

In January 2021, the FLCCC presented findings on the use of the anti-parasite drug ivermectin against COVID-19 to the National Institutes of Health, which ruled there was "insufficient data to recommend either for or against the use of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19" without clinical trials. [4] A 2021 review article by FLCCC members on the efficacy of ivermectin, which was provisionally accepted by Frontiers in Pharmacology , was subsequently rejected on account of what the publisher called "a series of strong, unsupported claims based on studies with insufficient statistical significance" meaning that the article did "not offer an objective [or] balanced scientific contribution to the evaluation of ivermectin as a potential treatment for COVID-19". [15] The FLCCC review article included a study from Egypt that was later retracted after anomalies were found in its data and concerns were raised about plagiarism. [16]

Stance on vaccines

In 2021 the FLCCC said "vaccination is part of the solution", but COVID-19 vaccines were not listed in its preventative protocols, and in June 2022 a FAQ on the website, "What is your position on vaccines?", was removed. [17] [18] In August 2021 one doctor, Eric Osgood, resigned from the FLCCC because the group "may be contributing to people making the choice not to get vaccinated". Osgood commented: "If you're going to have a page that's dedicated to 'How do you prevent yourself from getting COVID?' that page can't not have vaccines at the top of it?" [3]

Susanna Priest, editor-in-chief of Science Communication , has said the FLCCC's messaging is discouraging vaccination, thereby prolonging the pandemic. [3]

Both co-founders of the group would later join conservative or right-wing groups promoting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and misinformation. [19] [20] [21]

Ohio lawsuit

In 2021, Fred Wagshul, a member of the FLCCC, prescribed ivermectin for a patient in a hospital in Ohio where he did not have admitting privileges. [22] [23] The patient's wife secured a temporary injunction from a judge of the Butler County, Ohio Court of Common Pleas ordering the man's doctors to administer ivermectin; a different judge of the same court overrode the order, determining that the plaintiff had failed to meet the requirements for a temporary injunction and writing, "there can be no doubt that the medical and scientific communities do not support the use of ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19". [23] [24]

Other unproven claims

In November 2022, Pierre Kory and the FLCCC began marketing a cocktail of supplements and drugs (e.g. ivermectin and nitazoxanide) for other viruses, influenza and Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Like the FLCCC-advocated COVID treatments, the recommendations lacked credible supporting scientific evidence. The Washington Post estimated that this cocktail could cost over $500. [25]

See also

Related Research Articles

Marcus Daron Lamb was an American televangelist, prosperity theologian, minister, Christian broadcaster, and anti-vaccine advocate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Mercola</span> American alternative medicine proponent and purveyor of anti-vaccination misinformation

Joseph Michael Mercola is an American alternative medicine proponent, osteopathic physician, and Internet business personality. He markets largely unproven dietary supplements and medical devices. On his website, Mercola and colleagues advocate unproven and pseudoscientific alternative health notions including homeopathy and opposition to vaccination. These positions have received persistent criticism. Mercola is a member of several alternative medicine organizations as well as the political advocacy group Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, which promotes scientifically discredited views about medicine and disease. He is the author of two books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harald Walach</span> German parapsychologist

Harald Walach is a German parapsychologist and advocate of alternative medicine.

Paul Ellis Marik is an American medical doctor and former professor of medicine who until his resignation in January 2022 served as chair of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia, and was also a critical care doctor at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. His research interests include sepsis and tissue oxygenation. In August 2023 the American Board of Internal Medicine informed Marik his certification was to be revoked for spreading misinformation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bret Weinstein</span> American podcaster and author

Bret Samuel Weinstein is an American podcaster, author, and former professor of evolutionary biology. He served on the faculty of Evergreen State College from 2002 until 2017, when he resigned in the aftermath of a series of campus protests about racial equity at Evergreen, which brought Weinstein to national attention. Like his brother Eric Weinstein, he is considered part of the intellectual dark web. Weinstein has been criticized for making false statements about COVID-19 treatments and vaccines, and for spreading misinformation about HIV/AIDS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 drug repurposing research</span> Drug repurposing research related to COVID-19

Drug repositioning is the repurposing of an approved drug for the treatment of a different disease or medical condition than that for which it was originally developed. This is one line of scientific research which is being pursued to develop safe and effective COVID-19 treatments. Other research directions include the development of a COVID-19 vaccine and convalescent plasma transfusion.

Surgisphere is an American healthcare analytics company established in 2008 by Sapan Desai. Originally a textbook marketing company, it came under scrutiny in May 2020 after it provided large datasets of COVID-19 patients that were subsequently found to be unreliable. The questionable data were used in studies published in The Lancet and The New England Journal of Medicine in May 2020, suggesting that COVID-19 patients on hydroxychloroquine had a "significantly higher risk of death". In light of these studies, the World Health Organization decided to temporarily halt global trials of the drug hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. After the studies were retracted, the WHO trials were resumed and then discontinued shortly after.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">America's Frontline Doctors</span> Right wing, anti-science political group

America's Frontline Doctors (AFLDS) is an American right-wing political organization. Affiliated with Tea Party Patriots co-founder Jenny Beth Martin and publicly led by Simone Gold, the group is opposed to measures intended to control the COVID-19 pandemic, such as business closures, stay-at-home orders, and vaccination. The group promotes falsehoods about the COVID-19 pandemic and COVID-19 vaccines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vladimir Zelenko</span> Ukrainian-American physician (1973–2022)

Vladimir Zelenko was an American family physician. He was born in Kyiv. At the age of three, his family moved to the United States and settled in Brooklyn, New York City. He received his medical degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 2000. He was an Orthodox Jew.

Misinformation related to immunization and the use of vaccines circulates in mass media and social media in spite of the fact that there is no serious hesitancy or debate within mainstream medical and scientific circles about the benefits of vaccination. Unsubstantiated safety concerns related to vaccines are often presented on the internet as being scientific information. A large proportion of internet sources on the topic are mostly inaccurate which can lead people searching for information to form misconceptions relating to vaccines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierre Kory</span> American physician

Pierre Kory is an American critical care physician who gained attention during the COVID-19 pandemic for advocating widespread off-label use of certain drugs as treatments for COVID-19, as president and co-founder of the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC). Kory testified twice to the U.S. Senate regarding COVID-19. During his testimony in December 2020, Kory erroneously claimed that the antiparasitic medication ivermectin was a "wonder drug" with "miraculous effectiveness" against COVID-19.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine during the COVID-19 pandemic</span> Early experimental treatment efforts during the start of COVID-19 pandemic

Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are anti-malarial medications also used against some auto-immune diseases. Chloroquine, along with hydroxychloroquine, was an early experimental treatment for COVID-19. Neither drug has been useful to prevent or treat SARS-CoV-2 infection. Administration of chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine to COVID-19 patients has been associated with increased mortality and adverse effects, such as QT prolongation. Researchers estimate that off-label use of hydroxychloroquine in hospitals during the first phase of the pandemic caused 17,000 deaths worldwide. The widespread administration of chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine, either as monotherapies or in conjunction with azithromycin, has been associated with deleterious outcomes, including QT interval prolongation. As of 2024, scientific evidence does not substantiate the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine, with or without the addition of azithromycin, in the therapeutic management of COVID-19.

Peter Andrew McCullough is an American cardiologist. He was vice chief of internal medicine at Baylor University Medical Center and a professor at Texas A&M University. From the beginnings of the COVID-19 pandemic, McCullough has promoted misinformation about COVID-19, its treatments, and mRNA vaccines.

Simon James Thornley is a New Zealand medical doctor and academic specialising in epidemiology and biostatistics, and as of 2021 is a senior lecturer at the University of Auckland.

Robert Wallace Malone is an American physician and biochemist. His early work focused on mRNA technology, pharmaceuticals, and drug repurposing research. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Malone promoted misinformation about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

Misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines consists of disinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic propagated by various sources.

John Lorimer Campbell is an English YouTuber and retired nurse educator known for his videos about the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, the videos received praise, but they later diverged into COVID-19 misinformation. He has been criticised for suggesting COVID-19 deaths have been over-counted, repeating false claims about the use of ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment, and providing misleading commentary about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. As of March 2024, his YouTube channel had 3 million subscribers and over 750 million views.

Media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic includes reporting on the deaths of anti-vaccine advocates from COVID-19 as a phenomenon occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic. The media also reported on various websites documenting such deaths, with some outlets questioning whether this practice was overly unsympathetic. Reports noted phenomena including "deathbed conversions", in which vaccine opponents reportedly changed their minds and began encouraging vaccination before dying, with these claims meeting continued skepticism by vaccination opponents; and on groups of deaths within specific demographics, such as anti-vaccine radio hosts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivermectin during the COVID-19 pandemic</span> Uses of drug ivermectin during the COVID-19 pandemic

Ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug that is well established for use in animals and people. The World Health Organization (WHO), the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) all advise against using ivermectin in an attempt to treat or prevent COVID-19.

The World Council for Health is a pseudo-medical organisation dedicated to spreading misinformation to discourage COVID-19 vaccination, and promoting fake COVID-19 treatments.

References

  1. ↑ Szalinski, Christina. "Fringe Doctors' Groups Promote Ivermectin for COVID despite a Lack of Evidence". Scientific American. Kory is president of the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC), a group of physicians and scientists who champion ivermectin, along with other drugs and vitamins with dubious efficacy against COVID.
  2. 1 2 Fiore, Kristina (6 January 2021). "What's Behind the Ivermectin-for-COVID Buzz?". MedPage Today .
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hilary Brueck (17 September 2021). "2 fringe doctors created the myth that ivermectin is a 'miracle cure' for COVID-19 — whipping up false hope that could have deadly consequences". Business Insider.
  4. 1 2 Wadvalla, Bibi-Aisha (April 1, 2021). "Covid-19: Ivermectin's politicisation is a warning sign for doctors". The BMJ . 373: n747. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n747 . PMID   33795225.
  5. ↑ "Fact-checking claim about the use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19". Politifact . April 23, 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  6. ↑ Hayes, Kelly (December 8, 2020). "Doctor pleads for review of data on ivermectin as COVID-19 treatment during Senate hearing". FOX 10 Phoenix .
  7. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions on Ivermectin". March 23, 2021.
  8. ↑ Breitenbach, Dagmar (January 20, 2021). "Fact check: Effective (and ineffective) COVID-19 treatments". Deutsche Welle .
  9. ↑ "EMA advises against use of ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 outside randomised clinical trials" (Press release). European Medicines Agency. 22 March 2021.
  10. ↑ "WHO advises that ivermectin only be used to treat COVID-19 within clinical trials". World Health Organisation. March 31, 2021.
  11. ↑ Marcus A (10 November 2021). "Bad MATH+? Covid treatment paper by Pierre Kory retracted for flawed results". Retraction Watch.
  12. ↑ "Retraction Notice". Journal of Intensive Care Medicine. November 9, 2021. doi: 10.1177/08850666211049062 . PMID   34749558. S2CID   243863375.
  13. ↑ Gorski D (7 August 2023). "The American Board of Internal Medicine finally acts against two misinformation-spreading doctors". Science-Based Medicine.
  14. ↑ "FLCCC Doctors Plan to Fight Board Decision". FLCCC Alliance. 8 August 2023.
  15. ↑ Offord, Catherine (March 2, 2021). "Frontiers Removes Controversial Ivermectin Paper Pre-Publication". The Scientist .
  16. ↑ Fiore, Kristina (2021-07-20). "Large Ivermectin Study Retracted". www.medpagetoday.com. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
  17. ↑ Goldhill O (26 July 2022). "Encouraged by right-wing doctor groups, desperate patients turn to ivermectin for long Covid". Stat.
  18. ↑ Falcan, Russell (2021-09-06). "Ivermectin use surges despite no evidence it treats COVID-19". Nextstar Media Wire. Retrieved 2021-09-12. The FLCCC Alliance says "vaccination is part of the solution" for ending the COVID-19 pandemic, although vaccines are not listed in its preventative protocol plan.
  19. ↑ BRUMFIEL, GEOFF (July 19, 2022). "Doubting mainstream medicine, COVID patients find dangerous advice and pills online". All Things Considered . NPR . Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  20. ↑ Goldhill O (26 July 2022). "Encouraged by right-wing doctor groups, desperate patients turn to ivermectin for long Covid". Stat.
  21. ↑ Fiore K (May 19, 2022). "Misinformation Docs See Their Political Stars Rise". MedPage Today.
  22. ↑ Kesslen, Ben; Lozano, Alicia Victoria (September 3, 2021). "Ohio doctor who prescribed deworming drug for Covid founded pro-ivermectin group". NBC News. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  23. 1 2 Mole, Beth (2021-09-07). "Forced use of horse dewormer on COVID patient overturned by Ohio judge". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  24. ↑ Decision Denying Plaintiff's Action for a Preliminary Injunction, Julie Smith ex rel. Jeffrey Smith v. West Chester Hospital, LLC, Case No. CV 2021 08 1206 (Court of Common Pleas, Butler County, Ohio Sept. 6, 2021).
  25. ↑ Weber, Lauren (26 February 2023). "Doctors who touted ivermectin as covid fix now pushing it for flu, RSV". Washington Post. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.