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Summarised by Centrist
A political and legal fight is unfolding in Texas after Attorney General Ken Paxton stepped in to defend a doctor disciplined for prescribing ivermectin to a COVID patient.
Paxton has formally backed Dr Mary Talley Bowden in her lawsuit against the Texas Medical Board. The board, which licenses and oversees doctors in Texas, issued a public reprimand in October 2025. A reprimand is an official warning that becomes part of a doctor’s record.
The case began in November 2021, when Bowden was asked to give ivermectin to a ventilated COVID patient after the family obtained a court order. An appeals court later blocked the order, but Bowden says she was unaware when her nurse went to administer the drug. Hospital staff refused entry and called police.
The medical board later ruled that Bowden acted improperly and issued the reprimand.
Paxton argues the board overstepped its powers. In a legal brief, he said Bowden acted in good faith and within the law, and that her constitutional rights were violated.
Bowden’s lawyer called the board’s actions a political vendetta.
Bowden was among the doctors who sued the US Food and Drug Administration over its warnings against using ivermectin for COVID.
In the settlement, the FDA agreed to remove certain online posts, including a widely shared message telling people not to use animal medicine.
The FDA has not approved ivermectin to treat or prevent COVID.
