Family of Elmhurst COVID patient in standoff with hospital over controversial treatment
CHICAGO - An Elmhurst woman whose mother is in grave condition with COVID-19 says a local hospital is refusing to treat her mom with a specific drug, despite a judge's order to do so.
"She might pass away within hours," said Desi Fype of her 68-year old mom, Nurije, whose condition has been deteriorating since she was admitted to Edward-Elmhurst Hospital on April 7.
"My mother has been on a ventilator for three days now, and the moment before they intubated her, she had her heart stop," said Fype.
Worried her mother may die of the virus at any moment, Fype has asked that she be treated with an anti-parasitic drug called ivermectin, which has gained attention as a possible treatment for COVID, but has not been approved by the FDA.
The hospital has refused.
"Every day that I've been requesting it, I've been denied this drug, " Fype said. "So I hired lawyers to fight this."
Fype hired Buffalo, NY-based attorneys Ralph Lorigo and Jon Minear, who have successfully fought for other COVID patients wanting prescriptions for ivermectin.
This week, they secured a court order from a judge in DuPage County, ordering Edward-Elmhurst Hospital to administer ivermectin to Nurije Fype.
But Fype and her legal team say the hospital didn't budge and continues to refuse to give her mother the drug.
"[The judge] ordered that Elmhurst Hospital and Elmhurst Medical Group to administer ivermectin to the ward, per the prescription, immediately," Lorigo said. "That's what he ordered. That order's properly served on the hospital, and the hospital refuses."
"I am so devastated. So frustrated," said Fype.
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The FDA has a page on its website titled "Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin to Treat or Prevent COVID-19."
The statement says the drug has only been approved at very specific doses for parasitic worms and that it is dangerous at large doses.
FOX 32 did reach out to Edward-Elmhurst Hospital for a response to the court order; a spokesperson said it couldn't comment due to privacy regulations.
Fype's attorneys said they are in the process of preparing a Motion for Contempt to be served on the hospital this weekend, and expect to be back before a judge on Monday.