EDMONTON — Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi told Albertans on Tuesday that he is using Ivermectin, a controversial drug during the COVID–19 pandemic, to help treat a rare chronic face condition. Ivermectin has been used as a horse -deworming drug for years and was the subject of controversy during the COVID-19 pandemic when Alberta health authorities blocked its use for patients.Nenshi informed Albertans about the treatment during a virtual town hall after one viewer expressed concern about Nenshi's health because his eyes had been acting "a little bit unusual."He said that he had been diagnosed with Morbihan Syndrome, a chronic disease that affects the upper two-thirds of an individual's face and causes firm swelling."This has been something that's been going on for me for quite some time, and I always say, 'If you're going to have a super rare chronic condition, you may as well have one that doesn't hurt, doesn't itch, doesn't impact your eyesight, isn't going to kill you, and is purely cosmetic,'" said Nenshi. .The cause of Morbihan Syndrome is unknown."The challenge is, of course, in this job, purely cosmetic, when you're on TV every day, means a lot of kind people like (concerned viewer), go, are you okay? And give me great ideas about things to take down the swelling on my face."There are differing treatments to help with the effects of the disease, and while Nenshi said some have not been effective, one that has is Ivermectin."So there you go, folks, Ivermectin actually does work for something," Nenshi said..Ivermectin is a medication typically used to treat river blindness, intestinal infections caused by threadworms, and other worm infections. In line with Nenshi's quip, however, Ivermectin also has a controversial history in Alberta, especially regarding treating COVID–19. Some studies conducted during the pandemic suggested that Ivermectin could be an effective alternative treatment to mitigate the effects of COVID–19 in patients. Despite the studies, AHS decided not to use the medication to treat COVID–19. "Although some early studies into the use of ivermectin against COVID-19 suggested possible benefit, none of the recent high-quality trials where results have been reviewed and assessed have supported these findings," reads an AHS statement from 2021. "There are genuine concerns of fraudulent data being reported from some of the early trials, and the largest trial that supported ivermectin use has already been withdrawn as a result of data fraud."A later 2025 report, commissioned by Premier Danielle Smith, recommended that doctors be given the ability to prescribe alternative treatments, such as Ivermectin, in the event of a future pandemic. The report was criticized by some of Alberta's medical experts, and Nenshi called it "authoritarian" and "quackery."
