The Washington Medical Commission has fined a physician and restricted his medical license for prescribing ivermectin to patients as a treatment for COVID-19 and spreading misinformation, The Chronicle reported Aug. 25.
Richard Wilkinson, MD, prescribed the drug to seven patients from August to December 2021 without documenting a sufficient rationale and without informing the patient the medication was not FDA approved for COVID-19 treatment or prevention, according to the order.
The commission fined Dr. Wilkinson $15,000 and put his license on probation for five years. During that time, he will not be allowed to prescribe ivermectin for non-FDA-approved purposes and must undergo a clinical competency assessment within six months.
Dr. Wilkinson is considering appealing the decision and is one of four physicians suing the medical commission for its position statement regarding COVID-19 misinformation.
The lawsuit, brought by the Silent Majority Foundation on behalf of the physicians, alleges the commission is "using the statement as an enforceable rule although it was not adopted with the procedures for such a rule."
Pete Serrano, director and general counsel at the Silent Majority Foundation, who is representing the doctors in the lawsuit, told MedPage Today that "the most critical element of the rulemaking process is the notice and comment period prior to the adoption of a rule, and the commission failed to use that process in this instance. Even if the commission would have employed the necessary rulemaking procedures in its adoption of the position statement, the statement violates the providers' rights to free speech."
The lawsuit hearing is scheduled for Aug. 30.