A B.C. acupuncturist has been suspended for two months after prescribing her patients the animal dewormers ivermectin and fenbendazole—the latter of which is “not approved for human consumption,” according to the professional regulator. Earlier this month, Katie Johnson admitted to professional misconduct and agreeing to a two-month suspension, according to a disciplinary order published by the College of Complementary Health Professionals of British Columbia. The college’s investigation into Johnson’s conduct began last year and looked into the northern B.C. practitioner’s “advertising practices, medication prescription, practising outside their scope, clinical record keeping and not responding fully to the investigation,” according to the order. Johnson admitted to two instances of prescription-related misconduct—prescribing ivermectin without the required authority and prescribing fenbendazole to humans, which is not allowed under Canada’s Food and Drugs Act, according to the decision. The practitioner also admitted she did not keep adequate records for the patients she provided with the drugs by “failing to carry out an assessment, obtain a patient history, record prescription information and any ongoing monitoring for patients who were provided with fenbendazole and ivermectin outside the scope of practice,” according to the order. Another issue with Johnson’s record-keeping, according to the order, was “altering patient records following a notice of investigation served by the college regarding their conduct.” In addition to the suspension, Johnson agreed to abide by college bylaws and professional standards, complete six courses, and co-operate with random audits of her practice. According to the college’s records, Johnson was first licensed to practise acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine in 2015. Her workplace is listed as The House of Healing in Dawson Creek. What are ivermectin and fenbendazole? The decision from the B.C. regulator does not provide any information about why Johnson prescribed these two products to her patients. Both are antiparasitic medications that were originally developed and used as animal dewormers. The combination of the two as a cancer cure was touted by Mel Gibson in an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience in early 2025. The appearance racked up tens of millions of views. “I have three friends. All three of them had Stage 4 cancer. All three of them don’t have cancer right now at all, and they had some serious stuff going on,” Gibson told Rogan. “What did they take?” Rogan asked. “Ivermectin, fenbendazole?” “Yeah,” Gibson said, nodding emphatically. The Journal of the American Medical Association published research this year that noted “rigorous clinical trial evidence does not presently support (ivermectin’s) use, nor does evidence support the use of fenbendazole or other benzimidazoles for cancer therapy.” The study sought to examine the relationship between the podcast appearance and prescribing rates for the combination of drugs and found the rate “rose rapidly following celebrity endorsement in January 2025, with disproportionate increases among male patients.” The Canadian Cancer Society addressed Gibson’s claims directly in a social media post the day after his podcast appearance. “Mel Gibson promoted drugs that are not scientifically proven cancer treatments. Misinformation on cancer treatment is dangerous, cruel, irresponsible and gives false hope to people with cancer and their loved ones,” the post said. The American Cancer Society also has pages on its website dedicated to debunking claims the two antiparasitic drugs can treat or cure cancer.
