Topline
Dana White, president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, said Thursday morning he underwent a course of treatments for Covid-19 -recommended to him by podcaster and UFC commentator Joe Rogan, including ivermectin, a drug that has not been proven to treat the disease.
UFC President Dana White, left, speaks to podcaster and UFC commentator Joe Rogan, right.
Key Facts
White said on “The Jim Rome Podcast” he immediately called Rogan for consultation after realizing Sunday he had no sense of smell, a common Covid symptom.
After White tested positive Monday, he received monoclonal antibodies, took a dose of ivermectin and underwent three intravenous therapies —two NAD drips and one vitamin drip—Monday and Tuesday, all at Rogan’s recommendation.
There is no evidence that ivermectin, which Rogan has touted, is effective against the disease and can be dangerous when consumed by humans, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
Monoclonal antibodies are an FDA-approved treatment for Covid, while there is little evidence to support that the IV vitamin and NAD drips White received help to generate an immune response.
White said he is fully vaccinated and his entire family tested positive for Covid following their Thanksgiving celebration.
Chief Critic
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease official, has bluntly warned against using ivermectin to treat Covid: “Don’t do it. There’s no evidence whatsoever that it works and it could potentially have toxicity…with people who have gone to poison control centers because they’ve taken the drug at a ridiculous dose and wind up getting sick. There’s no clinical evidence that indicates that this works.”
Key Background
White isn’t the first sports figure to take Rogan’s questionable medical advice. NFL star Aaron Rodgers, who tested positive for Covid last month, underwent a similar regimen following a consultation with Rogan last month. Rodgers was criticized for having misled reporters on his vaccination status and claiming “sterility and fertility issues” as a reason he did not get vaccinated against Covid (there’s no evidence that the vaccines cause any fertility problems). Rogan’s Spotify-exclusive podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” was the streaming giant’s most-listened to podcast of 2021. Rogan and Spotify have received criticism for the show’s platforming of conspiracy theories.
Further Reading
UFC boss Dana White, family test positive for COVID-19; relying on Joe Rogan recovery methods (USA Today)
