The possible uses of the drug in the treatment of COVID-19 still raise several doubts and is still under scientific probes. However, the Court ruled in favor of the right of medical practitioner to dispense it to their patients if they deem it suitable for treatment.
On 25 August 2023 the Court of Appeal in Kuala Lumpur ruled that, under the laws of Malaysia, medical practitioner have the right to dispense the drug Ivermectin. The ruling, by all means, overturns a previous judgment from the High Court which, in March 2022, dismissed a lawsuit filed by two doctors asking for the right to dispense the drug. The High Court had pointed out that the court could not intervene in the health policy decided by the government and that the existing policy framework did not allow for the use of Ivermectin, a drug whose possible uses in the treatment of COVID-19 raised several doubts and was still under scientific probes.
However, the Court of Appeal upheld a different stance. While not recognizing that Ivermectin is a specific remedy for COVID-19, it ruled that medical practitioner, under the provisions of the 1952 Poisons Act and Regulations, have the right to dispense it to their patients if they deem it suitable for treatment. Such right, the court said, is a pre-existing right of every medical practitioner.
