diff --git a/public/app/core/utils/text.ts b/public/app/core/utils/text.ts
index faf801b45be..d769f5dc57b 100644
--- a/public/app/core/utils/text.ts
+++ b/public/app/core/utils/text.ts
@@ -101,3 +101,11 @@ export function sanitize(unsanitizedString: string): string {
 export function hasAnsiCodes(input: string): boolean {
   return /\u001b\[\d{1,2}m/.test(input);
 }
+
+export function escapeHtml(str: string): string {
+  return String(str)
+    .replace(/&/g, '&')
+    .replace(/</g, '&lt;')
+    .replace(/>/g, '&gt;')
+    .replace(/"/g, '&quot;');
+}
diff --git a/public/app/features/panel/panel_ctrl.ts b/public/app/features/panel/panel_ctrl.ts
index e81312aa0de..ccac99ae66d 100644
--- a/public/app/features/panel/panel_ctrl.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/panel/panel_ctrl.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import _ from 'lodash';
 import Remarkable from 'remarkable';
+import { sanitize, escapeHtml } from 'app/core/utils/text';
 
 import config from 'app/core/config';
 import { profiler } from 'app/core/core';
@@ -250,31 +251,32 @@ export class PanelCtrl {
       markdown = this.error || this.panel.description;
     }
 
-    const linkSrv = this.$injector.get('linkSrv');
-    const sanitize = this.$injector.get('$sanitize');
-    const templateSrv = this.$injector.get('templateSrv');
+    const linkSrv: any = this.$injector.get('linkSrv');
+    const templateSrv: any = this.$injector.get('templateSrv');
     const interpolatedMarkdown = templateSrv.replace(markdown, this.panel.scopedVars);
     let html = '<div class="markdown-html">';
 
-    html += new Remarkable().render(interpolatedMarkdown);
+    const md = new Remarkable().render(interpolatedMarkdown);
+    html += config.disableSanitizeHtml ? md : sanitize(md);
 
     if (this.panel.links && this.panel.links.length > 0) {
       html += '<ul>';
       for (const link of this.panel.links) {
         const info = linkSrv.getPanelLinkAnchorInfo(link, this.panel.scopedVars);
+
         html +=
           '<li><a class="panel-menu-link" href="' +
-          info.href +
+          escapeHtml(info.href) +
           '" target="' +
-          info.target +
+          escapeHtml(info.target) +
           '">' +
-          info.title +
+          escapeHtml(info.title) +
           '</a></li>';
       }
       html += '</ul>';
     }
 
     html += '</div>';
-    return sanitize(html);
+    return html;
   }
 }
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/text/module.ts b/public/app/plugins/panel/text/module.ts
index ad60fe8aa6a..a1fe0de372c 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/text/module.ts
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/text/module.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import _ from 'lodash';
 import { PanelCtrl } from 'app/plugins/sdk';
 import Remarkable from 'remarkable';
-import { sanitize } from 'app/core/utils/text';
+import { sanitize, escapeHtml } from 'app/core/utils/text';
 import config from 'app/core/config';
 
 const defaultContent = `
@@ -70,12 +70,8 @@ export class TextPanelCtrl extends PanelCtrl {
   }
 
   renderText(content: string) {
-    content = content
-      .replace(/&/g, '&amp;')
-      .replace(/>/g, '&gt;')
-      .replace(/</g, '&lt;')
-      .replace(/\n/g, '<br/>');
-    this.updateContent(content);
+    const safeContent = escapeHtml(content).replace(/\n/g, '<br/>');
+    this.updateContent(safeContent);
   }
 
   renderMarkdown(content: string) {