Arkansas joins Tennessee as the second U.S. state to legalize the sale of Ivermectin without a prescription.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has signed Senate Bill 189, a measure that legalizes the sale of Ivermectin for human use over the counter without requiring a prescription or medical consultation. With this move, Arkansas becomes the second state in the nation—following Tennessee—to grant such access to the medication.

The legislation, co-sponsored by State Senator Alan Clark of Lonsdale, received strong support in the state legislature. During a committee hearing, Clark said, “I’m more trusting of my constituents’ and friends’ common sense than I am of the medical industry at the moment.”

The measure is a direct challenge to previous federal restrictions, especially those issued during the COVID-19 pandemic. In December 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned against the use of animal formulations of the drug in humans, stating, “Never use medications intended for animals on yourself or other people. Animal ivermectin products are very different from those approved for humans. Use of animal ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in humans is dangerous.”

Despite those warnings, Ivermectin has a decades-long history of safe human use dating back to 1966. By March 2024, a review of 101 controlled studies on Ivermectin’s use for COVID-19 treatment demonstrated a 62 percent lower risk in early treatment outcomes.

The policy shift in Arkansas comes amid growing backlash over how federal health agencies handled COVID-era guidance. In 2022, a coalition of physicians filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the FDA, arguing that the agencies had overstepped their authority in discouraging the use of Ivermectin for COVID-19. That legal action prompted the FDA to agree to retract all social media and consumer guidance explicitly advising against the drug’s use for COVID treatment.

With Arkansas enacting SB189, momentum continues to grow among states seeking to expand access to Ivermectin. Fourteen other states—North Carolina, Texas, West Virginia, Alabama, Maine, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Missouri, Louisiana, Idaho, and Georgia—are currently exploring legislative pathways to make the drug available without a prescription.

Governor Sanders’ approval of the measure signals a wider state-level push to reassert local autonomy over medical treatment decisions in the wake of national health emergencies and perceived federal overreach.