The answer is that patients profit the most; it’s a life-saving and life-extending drug. But the sticker price (termed wholesale acquisition cost) keeps rising. Following the money will reveal both the lack of pricing transparency, and those who are raking the greatest share of the price increases.
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Electric vehicles require very large lithium batteries – some even believe Tesla is more a battery than a car company. In any event, as an article in Wired points out, no good deed goes unpunished. What do we do with batteries at the end of their life?
Over the past 20 months, some formerly unknown terms have become part of our vernacular, thanks to COVID-19. Do most non-scientists understand them? We’re guessing: Probably not. So, here’s a primer that may help you better understand what you're hearing and reading.
Dr. David Shlaes has been following the various discussions around the development of rapid diagnostic tests for acute bacterial infections. The ACSH advisor has concluded that broad-spectrum empiric therapy of potentially serious infections in the hospital will continue – and well it should – regardless of the availability of such rapid tests.
As the Supreme Court gears up to determine “the fate of the fetus,” the state of their “pre-genitors” also remains murky.
Some social justice activists have alleged that Western companies use biotechnology to "colonize" the developing world. There isn't a bit of evidence in support of this popular but very dangerous accusation.
Let’s face it, Dr. Google remains the Dr. Benjamin Spock of our current generation; 53% of Americans search there for health information. A close runner-up is Mehmet Oz, a cardiovascular surgeon and now influencer – and when he speaks, he moves markets, at least for diets and supplements that often, although not always, have scant if no scientific basis. A new study looks at how we combat or, more appropriately, do not combat the Oz Effect.
Multiple studies have shown that vaping can help smokers give up cigarettes if they want to quit. But research is beginning to show that vaping may actually incentivize smokers to quit, even when they have no plans to stop.
Two sources of immunity from infectious diseases are widely recognized: vaccination and immunity acquired naturally in survivors of previous infections. The latter may be involved in the roller-coaster up-and-down behavior seen in the progression of daily new COVID cases after the current pandemic began in early 2020. Cases increased as the virus spread throughout the nation, in part due to insufficient attention to limiting exposures, but what could account for subsequent decreases? We (and others) ascribe the long downward slide from the 2020-21 winter peak to the coincident national vaccination program. Here we set out to investigate possible contributions from infection-acquired immunity.
All of a sudden we have two (provisionally) FDA-approved COVID antivirals, which will be in pharmacies soon. They are quite different. Which is best for you?
Scientific American's descent from respected publication to ideological tabloid is nearly complete. The magazine is now promoting anti-GMO activism under the guise of "social justice."
A new rumor claims that Paxlovid, Pfizer's Covid drug, is merely a "dressed up" ivermectin molecule with little difference other than price. The term "Pfizermectin" is even being used to emphasize this. But biochemical and pharmacokinetic data say otherwise. Here are the numbers.
South Africa took a punch to the gut recently as the "dreaded" omicron variant, aka the "South African Variant" emerged and scared the hell out of the world, at least for a few days. South Africa also paid a heavy price economically for being tagged with that name. And it was all unfair because the name was the result of the excellence of scientists who discovered it, and prompt reporting by health officials – which came back to bite them. Once again, no good deed …
The CNBC headline. “A Harvard nutritionist and brain expert says she avoids these five foods that ‘weaken memory and focus.” She is also the author of “This Is Your Brain on Food,” an Amazon #1 bestseller in obsessive-compulsive disorders. I haven’t read the book, but it would be pointless based on her article, which appeared on many other news outlets.
It's been an interesting month COVID-wise. The COVID antivirals made their way to pharmacies. All in all, things went pretty well (unless you happen to be Merck). Here, you'll learn how to locate pharmacies in your area that have been selected to carry the drugs, and how to see if the pills are in stock.
The latest results from the USDA's Pesticide Data Program confirm that America's food supply still very safe, despite allegations from activist groups to the contrary.
Let us leave aside our obsession with COVID and consider two more significant health problems that have long plagued us, obesity and cardiometabolic disease resulting in hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. As a new review article suggests, “Adipose tissue lies at the center of these health problems….” Fat is more than something that insulates and gives our body a shape.
Electronic Health Records, those over-hyped, energy and time-sucking billing algorithms sold to the American public and healthcare professionals as THE answer continues to search for some valuable clinical role. Clinical decision support are algorithms that scan our data and send timely reminders to our physicians to “Do the Right Thing.” While it may work well in the Ivory Towers, and even that is debatable, when taken out for a real-world test, clinical decision support is nowhere near ready for prime-time.
It's time for the UK to embrace the benefits of crop biotechnology to boost its farm sector. I make the case in a recent report for the Adam Smith Institute.
Why are catalytic converters becoming an endangered species? Because they contain three valuable metals - platinum, palladium, and rhodium - making them worth hundreds, even thousands of dollars, stolen or not. It's the rhodium thieves are after. It's very rare, very expensive and has some strange properties. Could there be a better time for a Dreaded Chemistry Lesson from Hell? I think not.
This is another retrospective observational study, this one from England looking at the transmission of COVID-19 in both its alpha and delta variants to other adults. It helped me refine how I think about vaccines, let me share the findings and my thoughts.
While COVID-19 vaccinations are increasing (however slowly), infections are increasing more rapidly. Both provide a degree of immunity from further infection. We have previously investigated daily rates of change in detail. Here we consider the cumulative rates of infection and the implications for the future of the pandemic.
Hello, nut cases! Have I got a book for you. Comedy writer Dennis DiClaudio's "The Hypochondriac's Pocket Guide to Horrible Diseases" is both repugnant and hilarious. Here are three (of many) diseases you don't want to catch. Not for the squeamish. Plus some science thrown in. No extra charge.
Gender pay disparity, Postum replaced by Atomo, praying – I have an app for that, the loss of scientists from immigration.
It seems that COVID-19 is, finally and hopefully, waning from the American scene. Before we face another wave or a new threat, it might make sense to review some of the legal fallout, notably the interplay between freedom of religion, the obligation of the state to protect public health, and the prevalence of changing attitudes championing solidarity versus those advocating autonomy.
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