NEW YORK CITY, NY – A lawyer is claiming the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is conspiring with the United States Postal Service (USPS) to identify packages containing shipments of the anti-parasitical drug ivermectin – which some individuals are using as a controversial “alternative” treatment option for COVID-19 – and destroy them before they can reach their intended recipients.
Aaron Siri, Managing Partner of Siri & Glimstad LLP, released a picture of a November 10-dated FDA document on Twitter that informs an individual – whose name has been redacted – that a package containing 200 ivermectin tablets was being held by post office at their request.
“The FDA is working with the post office to hold packages containing ivermectin,” Siri tweeted. “The FDA could better use its resources to, I don’t know, publicly release the docs submitted by Pfizer to license its mandated liability-free V earlier than 75 years from now!”
Siri did not say how he had obtained the document, which indicates that the package had entered the United States via John F. Kennedy Airport in Jamaica, New York.
The FDA’s reasoning for holding the package, as stated on the document was that the ivermectin tablets were “misbranded” and “lacked adequate directions for use.”
“Examination of following articles has been made and the FDA has determined that these articles are drugs that are not in compliance with the requirements of the law as indicated below,” the document read. “Additionally, the FDA has determined that each article is valued at $2,500 or less. Because these drugs are not in compliance with the requirements of the law and are valued at $2,500 or less, they are subject to refusal of admission into the United States and are subject to administrative destruction.”
Some Twitter users noted that if the package was indeed imported, as stated on the document, that it was more likely that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had been the entity behind identifying the contents, as the agency can open any package leaving or entering the country; in addition, the contents of each package must be listed and visible on the customs form.
In addition, Siri’s accusation that the FDA and the USPS are conspiring to seize and destroy ivermectin packages based on one single, unverifiable document appears to represent a broad assumption. However, many have pointed out that when it comes to alternative COVID-19 treatments, the FDA has been staunchly anti-ivermectin for some time now, with many people accusing the agency of denigrating the drug unfairly.
