“The only thing these people learned from the last pandemic is to start the grift early”: Controversial doctor who battled COVID vaccine policies now facing fresh scrutiny after promoting ivermectin as possible hantavirus treatment for Texans

Texas – Public fights over ivermectin, medical freedom, and COVID-era policies are erupting again in Texas after Dr. Mary Talley Bowden — a physician who became nationally known for challenging vaccine mandates and promoting alternative COVID treatments — found herself back at the center of controversy. This time, the backlash is tied to hantavirus fears and her decision to begin selling ivermectin directly to Texans without requiring prescriptions.

The renewed storm comes after reports emerged that at least five hantavirus cases had been confirmed aboard a cruise ship, triggering concern online and quickly reigniting old arguments over ivermectin, government oversight, and pandemic-era medical battles.

Bowden immediately weighed in on social media, suggesting the anti-parasitic drug could potentially work against the virus.

“Hantavirus is a RNA virus, and ivermectin should work against it,” Bowden wrote on X. “Ivermectin blocks RNA viruses from entering the nucleus, inhibits viral replication, disrupts integrity of the viral membrane and can prevent viral replication.”

Hantavirus is a RNA virus, and ivermectin should work against it.

Ivermectin blocks RNA viruses from entering the nucleus, inhibits viral replication, disrupts integrity of the viral membrane and can prevent viral replication.

— Mary Talley Bowden MD (@MaryBowdenMD) May 6, 2026

That post alone sparked heavy criticism from medical professionals and online commentators who pointed out there is no established evidence proving ivermectin is an effective treatment for hantavirus in humans. But the controversy escalated even further when Bowden followed it with a business announcement.

“I’ll be selling ivermectin for Texans only, no prescription needed,” she posted Thursday.

According to Bowden, customers could purchase as many as 100 pills for up to $110. Critics quickly flooded social media with comparisons showing similar ivermectin products being sold online for dramatically lower prices.

Texan here. Respectfully I can buy it on Amazon for $10. Is there a difference?

— TaxStrategyGuy (@taxstrategyguy) May 7, 2026

One viral response captured the tone of the backlash spreading across social media platforms.

“The only thing these people learned from the last pandemic is to start the grift early,” one commenter wrote.

The only thing these people learned from the last pandemic is to start the grift early. pic.twitter.com/WHsHKfS6cg

— Covie (@covie_93) May 7, 2026

Old COVID Battles Return to the Spotlight

The backlash surrounding Bowden cannot be separated from the battles that made her a major figure during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year, the Texas Medical Board publicly reprimanded Bowden after she prescribed ivermectin to a COVID patient in Fort Worth without authorization to treat that individual. The disciplinary action turned her into a hero among some conservatives and medical freedom activists who argued doctors were unfairly punished for challenging official pandemic guidance.

Bowden has repeatedly defended her actions.

During a 2025 interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, she described how her conflict with hospitals and regulators began after government agencies strongly discouraged ivermectin use for COVID treatment.

“The government put out the big information on Ivermectin and why you should not take it for COVID,” Bowden recalled. “And that’s sort of how I got tangled up in all this because I had privileges [Texas Health Huguley Hospital].”

She argued that speaking publicly against official guidance eventually put her directly in the crosshairs of regulators.

“And when they ignored me, then I started speaking out on social media,” she continued. “And that’s how, that’s what got me in trouble. And this was after the rollout of the wonderful COVID shots that were promised to stop transmission and prevent death and obviously didn’t. And the government was getting frustrated. So they doubled down on their ivermectin attack, and this was end of August, 2021.”

Her supporters insist she was punished not for harming patients, but for refusing to follow politically accepted narratives during the pandemic.

That argument gained even more traction earlier this year when Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton intervened in support of Bowden during her legal fight with the Texas Medical Board.

The dispute centers around a 2021 case involving a hospitalized first responder suffering severe COVID complications. The patient’s family sought a court order demanding that ivermectin be administered while the patient was on a ventilator and in a medically induced coma.

A district court initially approved the request. But according to Paxton’s office, an appeals court later blocked the order shortly before Bowden’s nurse arrived at the hospital. Bowden reportedly did not know the order had been stayed and continued trying to carry out treatment.

Hospital staff denied entry to the nurse and law enforcement was eventually called.

Despite those circumstances, the Texas Medical Board still issued a public reprimand and administrative penalties against Bowden.

Paxton sharply criticized the decision.

“I will not stand by as Dr. Bowden has her Constitutional rights trampled and ability to serve her patients impeded with an illegal reprimand,” Paxton said. “Dr. Bowden has been a champion for health freedom, selflessly served her patients, and acted in full accordance with the law. That’s why I’ve filed this intervention in support of Dr. Bowden and to ensure administrative agencies don’t violate the rights of licensed professionals in Texas.”

The attorney general’s office also argued that the medical board ignored expert testimony, failed to properly consider legal advice Bowden had received, and violated due process during disciplinary proceedings.

Now, years after ivermectin became one of the most explosive symbols of the pandemic culture wars, Bowden’s latest comments about hantavirus have reopened the same fierce divide.

To critics, the situation looks like a dangerous replay of misinformation and fear-driven medicine. To supporters, it is another example of a doctor refusing to back down against what they view as government-controlled medical narratives.

Either way, the fight that once centered around COVID has clearly not disappeared. It has simply found a new virus, a new controversy, and another deeply divided audience.