- THE BUFFALO NEWS - Jan 15, 2021 -
Ajudge ordered Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital last week to give a Covid-19 patient an experimental treatment, and her family and attorneys say they believe that saved 80-year-old Judith Smentkiewicz's life.
The drug Ivermectin – a pill sometimes used to treat children with head lice or to rid dogs and cats of worms – is not yet approved by the federal government for use against Covid-19. But Smentkiewicz's son and daughter call it “a miracle drug” in their court papers.
So do her attorneys, Ralph C. Lorigo and Jon F. Minear.
“This lady was on a ventilator, literally on her deathbed, before she was given this drug,” Lorigo told The Buffalo News about Smentkiewicz, a Cheektowaga resident. “As far as we’re concerned, the judge’s order saved this woman’s life.”
Lorigo said one doctor at the hospital allowed the patient to be given the drug, but after she had been given one dose, another doctor at the hospital refused to allow further doses. He said family members went to court to force the hospital to resume treatment with Ivermectin. State Supreme Court Judge Henry J. Nowak sided with them.
Dr. Thomas A. Russo, one of the region’s leading experts on infectious diseases, said he was glad to hear that Smentkiewicz is doing better, but he said people should never jump to conclusions about Ivermectin or any other drug based on one patient’s outcome.
LEIA MAIS: