NORFOLK, Va. - A Norfolk Circuit Court judge may have ruled against Dr. Paul Marik and his efforts to be able to immediately prescribe ivermectin to COVID-19 patients at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, but his attorney says their legal fight is not over.
"Obviously, case itself is not over, but we are weighing our options in regard to the motion for injunction," attorney Fred Taylor told News 3 in a text message.
Taylor did not get more specific about what those options might be, but said they hoped to make a decision soon.
Judge David Lannetti issued his ruling and opinion late Tuesday, ruling Marik didn't "identify a specific patient" who would be immediately impacted and that Marik's argument overstepped Virginia law about when a doctor can overrule a hospital's guidelines and prescribe "alternative treatments."
The case can now move forward to a civil trial. As of now, the next court date is scheduled for February 2022.
While the case continues to play out, Marik's attorney also says his hospital privileges have been suspended at Sentara Norfolk.
The case drew attention and became another case in the nationwide debate over the use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19.
In other states, lawsuits have been brought forward by COVID patients or their families, seeking the use of ivermectin.
In Texas, a patient's wife sued a hospital over the use of ivermectin for her husband, but an appeals court ruled against her, saying the courts couldn't tell hospitals what to prescribe. A similar ruling happened in Ohio over the summer.
Studies are continuing into whether ivermectin is an effective treatment for COVID-19. Vanderbilt University is among the latest to study the drug for COVID treatment.
