Category: Clinical Trials

National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Devastation of NIH-funded clinical trials: The price of Lysenkoism 2.0

A recent commentary in The American Journal of Medicine describes the toll of this administration's ideology-based termination of NIH-funded clinical trials. It has been devastating.

/ November 9, 2026
Header for the retracted article “Real-world Clinical Outcomes of Ivermectin and Mebendazole in Cancer Patients” from the journal Anticancer Research, listing the author names and publication details.

Retracted: Study of ivermectin and mebendazole for cancer removed by publisher

The story of a research publication that met an abrupt, but just end.

/ October 24, 2026
Montana Experimental Therapeutics Review Board

Montana’s new “right to try”: Opening the door to profit from unproven drugs

Montana recently finalized rules to implement its expansion of "right-to-try." providing a chance for the unscrupulous to profit.

/ August 3, 2026
A woman lies face down on a massage table with several acupuncture needles inserted into her bare upper back, receiving acupuncture treatment. A white towel covers part of her body, and she appears relaxed.

More credulous nonsense about acupuncture, this time from National Geographic

PNAS recently published credulous nonsense about acupuncture so bad that I thought it couldn't be topped. "Hold my beer!" cried National Geographic, as it proceeded to top PNAS.

/ May 11, 2026

MAHA vs. the FDA: Dredging up old anti-regulation revisionist history

Recently, I've noticed articles from outlets aligned with MAHA calling for the elimination of the FDA. It's all recycled "health freedom" revisionist history and ahistorical nonsense.

/ May 4, 2026
Placebo

The myth of the magically powerful placebo returns

It's been a long time since I've written about the deceptive narratives around placebos promoted by supporters of alternative medicine. Unfortunately, a new article claiming placebos can work as well as "real medicine" is making the rounds on social media. Here we go again.

/ April 27, 2026

Dr. Vinay Prasad Said He Would Deliver New COVID Vaccine RCTs. He Failed and Should STFU.

It turns out that Tweeting about RCTs 100+ times is a lot easier than delivering even a single RCT.

/ April 5, 2026
Several red apples spill from a burlap sack next to jars of apple cider on an outdoor table, with a blurred green background.

Implausible Apple Cider Vinegar Weight Loss Study Retracted

When a trial has results that defy basic biology, it's reasonable to be skeptical.

/ February 26, 2026
Tuskegee syphiliis experiment

Every accusation is a confession (or a statement of intent): MAHA’s new Tuskegee experiment

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s CDC just funneled a $1.6 million dollar grant to researchers to carry out an unethical and scientifically unjustified randomized clinical trial of the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine in Guinea-Bissau. With MAHA, it's Tuskegee all over again.

/ December 22, 2025