Category: Pharmaceuticals

Deliberately Spoiled Vaccines: Conspiracy thinking and health professionals

A Wisconsin pharmacist is facing charges after deliberately tampering with a batch of COVID-19 vaccines, demonstrating that a health professional's education is no vaccine against conspiracy beliefs.

/ January 7, 2021

Salonpas

Salonpas is an over-the-counter topical NSAID used to treat pain. It's probably safe and might be worth trying for minor pain, but the effect is small and the advertising is more hype than substance.

/ December 22, 2020

Progeria

The first drug to treat Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria, a rare and uniformly fatal rapid aging disease, has been approved by the FDA. It can prolong the life of these children by 2.5 years, but it is very expensive.

/ December 8, 2020
Prescription Drugs

Government watchdog warns about paid physician speeches touting drugs and medical devices

Paid speeches at lavish events touting drugs and medical devices risk charges of anti-kickback law violations, warns a recent government Special Fraud Alert. Will companies and doctors take heed this time?

/ December 3, 2020

Appendicitis: Surgical vs. Medical Treatment

Surgery or antibiotics for appendicitis? This new study can help with the decision.

/ November 24, 2020

When Doctors Refuse to Believe Evidence

Paul Offit's new book covers the evidence for many surgeries, medications, and screening tests that have been proven ineffective and harmful yet are still being used by doctors who refuse to follow the science.

/ November 17, 2020

Jumping the Gun: Antibody Drugs for Covid-19

Why did the US government promise to buy a product that had failed testing?

/ November 10, 2020

Importing drugs from Canada won’t lower drug prices for Americans

The Trump administration has approved the bulk importation of prescription drugs from Canada. But Canada isn't on board with this plan, and it's not going to reduce drug prices for Americans.

/ October 15, 2020
COVID-19 vs. FDA and CDC

In the age of the COVID-19 pandemic, can we trust the CDC and FDA any more?

Since the COVID-19 pandemic reached the US, increasing concern has been expressed about the politicization of the CDC and FDA due to pressure from the Trump administration to downplay the severity of the pandemic and push out treatments and a vaccine as fast as possible, potentially at the expense of safety. This has led me to a disturbing question: Can I trust...

/ September 14, 2020

FDA warns companies selling illegal hangover remedies

The FDA recently warned seven companies not to claim that their dietary supplements can prevent, treat, or cure a hangover, because only FDA-approved drugs can make such claims. The agency also warned that NAC, a popular supplement ingredient, cannot legally be used in dietary supplements.

/ September 10, 2020