Mary Talley Bowden on fda: what the evidence says · JRE #2335
SUBJECT: FDA
Not a true/false call. Every claim is logged with its sources; read the exhibits below.
And I actually sued the FDA over that horse tweet and we won. It hasn't really changed anything. But so the FDA, when they put that information or misinformation out against ivermectin, they were really crossing a line because they're not allowed to tell the public, you can't take a medication for this or you should take a medication for that.
What the evidence says 01 / RECORD
Bowden was one of three doctors (Apter v. HHS/FDA, alongside Robert Apter and Paul Marik) who sued the FDA in 2022 over its August 2021 'You are not a horse. You are not a cow' ivermectin posts. After a district court dismissed the case on sovereign immunity, the Fifth Circuit revived it in 2023, holding that the FDA 'is not a physician' and can inform but not endorse, denounce, or advise. In March 2024 the FDA settled by agreeing to delete the horse tweet and two similar posts from X, LinkedIn, and Facebook and to retire a related consumer advisory. So the core factual claim (she sued over the horse tweet and the FDA removed it) is accurate, and her own aside that 'it hasn't really changed anything' is fair, but the settlement was not a court finding: the FDA did not admit any wrongdoing, disputed that it exceeded its authority, and did not change its position that clinical data do not show ivermectin is effective against COVID-19. Overall assessment: largely accurate, with the caveat that the 'we won' framing rests on a settlement in which the FDA conceded no legal violation.
Evidence sources 03 / EXHIBITS
Who Benefits
Bowden is a named plaintiff who built a public practice and profile around promoting ivermectin for COVID-19 after resigning her Houston Methodist privileges, giving her a professional and reputational stake in portraying the FDA lawsuit as a clear win.