Attorney, Sentara quiet over Dr. Marik's hospital suspension

NORFOLK, Va. - It remains unclear why Dr. Paul Marik has been suspended from his hospital privileges at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.

Marik's attorney told News 3 Monday Marik found out Saturday when he reported to work that his hospital privileges had been suspended for 14 days at the hospital.

The attorney, Fred Taylor, told News 3 Tuesday he couldn't comment further because the information is considered privileged.

Sentara also declined to comment further, writing in a statement, "At Sentara Healthcare, we care for all patients and consider every individual a person of sacred worth and value. In accordance with applicable state statutes, and consistent with hospital policies, we cannot comment on any medical staff proceedings. We will continue to remain focused on providing excellent patient care."

Marik, a critical care doctor at Sentara Norfolk and professor of medicine and chief of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, is in the midst of a legal battle over use of ivermectin.

Marik sued Sentara because he believes the drug can help kill the COVID-19 virus. Last week, the case played out in court with a ruling expected in the case soon.

Major health groups, including theU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, say there’s not enough data to prove ivermectin works against the virus.

Marik is suing the healthcare system because they won't allow him to treat COVID-19 patients with ivermectin, along with a host of other drugs that make up his developed MATH+ Protocol.

In a letter, Marik's attorney said the suspension letter was dated Nov. 18, the same date as the hearing last week.

“This is a desperate attempt by Sentara to say that Dr. Marik does not have standing since he was suspended at the time of arguing his case in court,” Taylor told News 3.

Late Tuesday, the judge denied Marik's attempt to be able to prescribe ivermectin to COVID-19 patients.

The Norfolk Circuit Court Clerks Office said the court denied in part Sentara Healthcare's lack of standing motionand denied Marik's temporary injunction motion.

“While we are disappointed that the Court did not grant the temporary injunction, our case for the rights of doctors and their patients remains alive and well. We expect to ultimately succeed on the merits of our case at trial," Taylor said in a statement to News 3 after the ruling.

Marik says he's never actually prescribed ivermectin for COVID-19 patients, but his attorney says he's relied on research and studies to come to the belief that it's safe and effective in treating them.

A paper he co-authored for a medical journal about his treatment plan was retracted due to the concerns about the data.

Several studies remain ongoing into whether or not ivermectin is an effective treatment for COVID-19. A recent interim review of a trial going on through the National Institutes of Health found no overly beneficial impact, but the trial is still continuing.