As a sales rep for drug manufacturers Questcor, Lisa Pratta always suspected the company’s business practices weren’t just immoral but illegal, too, as she explains in “False Claims — One Insider’s Impossible Battle Against Big Pharma Corruption” (William Morrow). But this was the final straw. Lisa Pratta at her home In New Jersey. In 2011, … Read more
Insulin, heart treatments and antibiotics have flowed freely across many borders for decades, exempt from tariffs in a bid to make medicine affordable. But that could soon change. For months, President Trump has been promising to impose higher tariffs on pharmaceuticals as part of his plan to reorder the global trading system and bring key … Read more
In December of 2002, Sharyl Attkisson, an Emmy-winning investigative reporter for CBS News, had an unsettling interview with smallpox expert Jonathan Tucker. In a post-9/11 world, with fears of terrorists using a long-eradicated disease like smallpox as a bioweapon, the US was preparing to bring back the smallpox inoculation program. But to Tucker, the very idea was … Read more
Martin Shkreli has been sued in New York by a digital art collective that said it paid $4.75 million for a one-of-a-kind album by the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, only to learn that the convicted pharmaceutical executive made copies and is releasing the music to the public. Shkreli paid $2 million in 2015 for “Once … Read more
Sunrise Lee was a stripper at Rachel’s in West Palm Beach, Fla., when she danced for a regular who slipped her his number. But Alec Burlakoff was not a lonely customer propositioning her for sex: in reality he was recruiting her to push doctors to over-prescribe highly-addictive opioids. “Dancers are the best sales people,” he … Read more
There’s no better way to reach an audience today than through social media — and Big Pharma is well aware of that. The video-sharing platform TikTok, for example, is being flooded with videos of users testifying to wellness through prescription drugs, with hashtags like #adhd (22.3B views), #ozempic (675.1M views) and #wegovy (259.3M views) consistently … Read more
Photo: Zmaster (Shutterstock) When you’re overcoming the cold or flu, you can get trapped in a hellish cycle of needing sleep to recover, but losing sleep due to lingering symptoms. Even after your cough has disappeared during the day, it often creeps back at night—making you (and everyone else in your household) miserable. Here’s what … Read more
Photo: Shutterstock (Shutterstock) New research this week is the latest to suggest that some drugs meant to treat type 2 diabetes might also help prevent dementia in high-risk groups. The study found that older people who used a relatively older class of antidiabetic medication were less likely to develop dementia than those who used other … Read more
Photo: Stramp (Shutterstock) Generally speaking, menopause, which is defined as going a full 12 months without a period, can happen anytime ranging between the late 30s to late 50s, with the average age being 52. In the time period leading up to menopause, which is known as perimenopause, the body can go through a number … Read more
An illustration of norovirus particles. Illustration: Shutterstock (Shutterstock) A nasty but short-lasting stomach bug may have lingering consequences for an unlucky few. Researchers have found evidence in mice and human cells that norovirus infection can trigger Crohn’s disease in people already genetically predisposed to it. The findings may also help scientists one day find better … Read more
Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock) A new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers some good and bad news about the country’s ongoing monkeypox outbreak. New cases are slowing down, likely thanks to a combination of vaccination and education efforts. But it’s also likely that the virus won’t be eradicated here and will … Read more
Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock) People’s cancers are apparently playing host to their very own fungi. A pair of studies this week have documented the unique neighborhoods of fungal species that can live inside our tumors. It’s possible that these microbes may even influence how cancers grow or manage to fend off certain treatments. 01:38 Andor Episode … Read more
Photo: catinsyrup (Shutterstock) If you are prone to getting headaches, you may be wondering about the difference between a regular headache and a migraine. Both suck, but a migraine is definitely worse. So how can you tell which kind you’re suffering from? A regular headache feels like “a dull, cap-like pressure,” said Julia Jones, a … Read more
Photo: L Julia (Shutterstock) The CDC recently issued an alert to healthcare providers about enterovirus D68, which has turned up in children who were hospitalized with severe respiratory illnesses. This virus can also cause a form of paralysis known as acute flaccid myelitis. Most illnesses with this virus do not cause the paralysis, but it’s … Read more
Photo: sebra (Shutterstock) A study that’s in the news right now claims that people who drink two to three cups of coffee per day live longer than people who avoid coffee. So should we all be drinking two to three cups? Not necessarily. Let’s take a look at where these numbers come from. Two to … Read more
A illustration of a herpes simplex virus. Illustration: Shutterstock (Shutterstock) Scientists may be able to turn a long-time germ foe into a cancer-fighting ally, new research this week suggests. In preliminary data from a Phase I trial, a genetically modified version of the herpes virus has shown promise in treating difficult-to-eradicate tumors, with one patient … Read more
Photo: fizkes (Shutterstock) The lingering pandemic, rising crime, an uncertain economy: All good reasons to visit your doctor to get screened for anxiety, or so says the federal government. The advice isn’t just aimed at people already experiencing mental health issues—this week, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an advisory group empaneled by the Department … Read more
Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock) A common heart and blood pressure drug could see a second act as a treatment for alcohol use disorder, new government-led research this week suggests. The study has found evidence in both rodents and humans that the medication spironolactone can reduce people’s craving for and consumption of alcohol. Spironolactone has been in … Read more
Photo: uniqueton (Shutterstock) When the COVID shots first came out, the CDC wanted to be cautious. It was a new vaccine, after all, so they recommended waiting two weeks before or after getting any other vaccine, including a flue shot. That guidance has changed. You can now get your flu and COVID shots at the … Read more
Photo: Shutterstock (Shutterstock) Sexually transmitted diseases in the U.S. are at a crisis point. On Monday, prominent public health experts and government officials raised an alarm over the ongoing annual rise in STDs. Preliminary data recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that cases of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia all went … Read more