Washington doctor fined after COVID patient died. He prescribed ivermectin

A Kennewick doctor failed to meet the standard of care for five patients, one of whom died, when he prescribed ivermectin to treat or prevent COVID-19 in 2021, the Washington Medical Commission concluded after a three-day hearing.

Dr. Michael K. Turner has been fined $5,000 and ordered to take continuing education courses, write a paper about what he learns and stop prescribing ivermectin for COVID-19.

The Washington Medical Commission has made clear that it relies on U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of medications to treat COVID as the standard of care, and ivermectin has not been approved by the FDA for COVID treatment or prevention.

Turner has the right to file a petition of reconsideration with the medical commission.

Turner told the Tri-City Herald that he questions whether less than two years into a pandemic with a rapidly changing virus it was even possible to determine a standard of care robust enough to result in the prosecution of doctors.

Even if it were possible, using the FDA as the basis to issue a standard “represents an unwelcome intrusion from a distant federal bureaucracy — with its own tangled web of special interests — into the doctor-patient relationship,” he said.

Turner disputes that the death of a patient 16 days after his initial care had anything to do with his prescription for ivermectin.

In the March 2024 hearing, the commission gave great weight to the testimony of Dr. Dawn Nolt, of Portland, Ore., who has reviewed articles for peer-reviewed journals, according to the written findings of the commission.

She said that Turner’s care harmed the patient who died and increased the risk of harm to four other patients

Turner testified in the hearing about his understanding of research regarding COVID-19 in 2021. However, the commission did not find his testimony credible, according to the commission.

“There is overwhelming evidence that the respondent failed to practice evidence-based medicine with respect to COVID-19,” the commission said in written findings. “The respondent either knew or — as a reasonably prudent physician should have known — that his practice was below the standard of care.”

COVID patient death

Turner, who has had a license to practice medicine in Washington state since 2019, advertised on a website in 2021 that he provided COVID telemedicine visits for patients interested in ivermectin and other treatments.

Patients seeking a virtual COVID visit were required to fill out a form with information about medical conditions and medications and to sign an acknowledgment that ivermectin is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for COVID.

A 74-year-old man, who Turner had not treated before, filled out the form in September 2021 saying he had COVID, was having symptoms and wanted ivermectin for treatment.

During a phone conversation with Turner, the patient reported being tired, achy and sweaty.

Turner prescribed ivermectin, a corticosteroid and a medication that helps with breathing, but did not discuss other treatments, according the medical commission.

Six days later the patient was admitted to a hospital with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure due to COVID.

The patient had elevated liver enzymes, which is a possible side effect of ivermectin. That disqualified him from receiving remdesivir, an antiviral drug approved for COVID treatment by the FDA in 2020, according to the medical commission.

The patient died of respiratory failure due to COVID-19 pneumonia 10 days after being admitted to the hospital, according to the medical commission.

The medical commission said that the patient was at high risk of becoming seriously ill and that such patients should be offered monoclonal antibodies within 10 days of becoming ill. Turner did not discuss monoclonal antibodies with the patient, according to the medical commission.

Turner told the Tri-City Herald that the first two doctors that treated the patient at the hospital wrote in the patient’s medical records that his liver problems were due to his COVID infection. Turner quoted the National Institutes of Health as determining that possible liver injury associated with ivermectin is mild.

He also said that the patient was given medications with known liver toxicity during his treatment at the hospital.

The commission also criticized Turner for not establishing a patient-physician relationship with the patient before prescribing ivermectin.

Other COVID patients

The other patients listed in the medical commission’s final order, most of them in their 70s, had requested ivermectin to take as a preventative or to have on hand in case they became ill with COVID.

All were generally healthy people and they experienced no harm, Turner said.

Turner said patients for whom he prescribed ivermectin did not complain to the Washington Medical Commission. Complaints instead came from other doctors and family members, he said.

Two of the patients prescribed ivermectin for prevention or to keep on hand indicated on the forms they filled out for Turner that they had liver disease, which could have been made worse by taking ivermectin, according to the medical commission.

The medical commission said Turner also failed to discuss vaccines or other treatment operations with patients prescribed ivermectin.

Just one of the patients saw Turner in person and Turner failed to establish a patient-physician relationship with the other patients before prescribing ivermectin, the commission said.

Two of the patients told Turner they were already using ivermectin manufactured for animals suffering with parasites, sometimes called “horse paste.”

The commission said Turner did not advise against its use, but Turner said he did tell them to stop using the veterinary product.

Just one of the patients saw Turner in person and Turner failed to establish a patient-physician relationship with the others before prescribing ivermectin, the medical commission said.

Turner said “off-label” use of medications is common and appropriate in the right context. The FDA has approved ivermectin to treat people with parasitic worms.

Another Tri-Cities doctor, Dr. Wei-Hsung Lin, also was fined $5,000 this spring for prescribing ivermectin related to COVID-19 in 2021. He reached an agreed order with the Washington Medical Commission.