FALSE: Duque, Domingo face jail time for delayed Ivermectin approval

At a glance:

• Claim: Several YouTube videos claim that Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director General Eric Domingo are facing imprisonment over their agencies’ delayed approval of Ivermectin as COVID-19 drug. 
• Rating: FALSE
• The facts: No complaints or cases have been filed against Duque or Domingo. The FDA has issued to only one hospital a compassionate use permit for a limited use of Ivermectin.
• Why we fact-checked this: The videos with these claims have a combined 260,835 views on YouTube as of writing. 

Complete details:

Since April 3, at least 3 videos have been uploaded on YouTube and Facebook, claiming that Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director General Eric Domingo are facing imprisonment over their agencies’ delayed approval of Ivermectin.  

As of writing, the videos with this claim have a combined 260,835 views on Youtube. Based on CrowdTangle search results, the videos with this claim have been shared in at least 178 separate posts, with one video having 1.08 million views as of writing. 

This claim is false. 

There are no complaints or cases filed against Duque or Domingo over Ivermectin for COVID-19, as of Tuesday, April 13.

Some of the videos use excerpts from a March 30 House of Representatives hearing on Ivermectin. The video excerpts take soundbites from SAGIP Partylist Congressman Rodante Marcoleta, who questioned the bureaucracy and approval process of the FDA and the DOH. The congressman asked the FDA about the status of the Ivermectin distributor’s application for a license to operate, and whether the application process could be fast-tracked.  

Marcoleta did not mention imprisonment or filing any case against Duque or Domingo. On the contrary, the congressman thanked Duque, saying: “Gusto ko lamang pasalamatan ang aking kumpare, si Secretary Duque, sapagkat isa siya sa nagbukas ng kaisipan ng marami.” (I just want to thank my close friend, Secretary Duque, because he’s one those who have opened the minds of many.)   

On April 8, the FDA issued one undisclosed hospital a compassionate special permit for Ivermectin. The permit allows the limited use of unregistered or investigational drugs in only to the hospital it is granted to. The permit does not guarantee that the drug is effective or recommended by the FDA.

The World Health Organization (WHO) stressed at the March 30 House hearing that there is a need for “carefully controlled and planned” clinical trials before Ivermectin can be used as a treatment for COVID-19. 

According to WHO representative to the Philippines Dr Rabindra Abeyasinghe, the initial studies and current available data on the drug “is not strong enough for us to advocate the use of Ivermectin as treatment for COVID-19.” – Therese Litonjua/Rappler.com

Therese Litonjua is a Rappler intern. This fact check has been reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s internship program  here.

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