Utah went all-in on an unproven Covid-19 treatment, then scrambled to course-correct
The saga of the drugs’ rise and fall in Utah provides a case study of what happens when hope and excitement about therapies outpace the evidence. More
The saga of the drugs’ rise and fall in Utah provides a case study of what happens when hope and excitement about therapies outpace the evidence. More
Patient visits to emergency rooms have dropped precipitously since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. This could be a sign of emergency room overuse. More
Since the release of the initial NIH study results, clinicians and researchers have posed many questions about remdesivir, which have so far gone unanswered. Here are a few of them... More
In the ICU, palliative care and advance care planning amidst the reality of Covid-19 are problematic. We need different kinds of conversations. More
Between 2016 and 2019, the United States experienced a rapid proliferation of limits restricting the duration or number of doses in opioid prescriptions for acute pain.1 As of October 2019, such limits have been enacted by 34 states; large payers, such as Medicare, several state Medicaid programs, Aetna, and UnitedHealth; pharmacy chains, such as Sam’s Club/Walmart; and major pharmacy benefit managers, such as CVS CareMark, ExpressScripts, and OptumRx, which collectively manage drug benefits for 180 million Americans. More
A study found that preventive cancer screenings sharply declined due to Covid-19. What effect will this dramatic decline in screening have on patient health? More
Misinformation about the pandemic is like COVID-19 itself: highly contagious, destructive, and with no known treatment or vaccine. More
Two studies show promise, but physicians have more questions than answers about the data. More
FDA must focus on ensuring the accuracy of fewer tests that have the best evidence of accuracy so that agencies can evaluate the spread of COVID-19 in each state and each county. More
The guidelines aim to help women who got infected from opioid drug use and their babies, but critics say the widespread screening is an unnecessary expense More
Relaxed regulations, misinformation, and a big potential payout are reminiscent of the conditions that cultivated Theranos More
Urgency demands patience, because advancement is always a product of missteps. More
Because the public is getting so many mixed messages from politicians, health experts, researchers, and the news media, it’s our responsibility as journalists to provide clarity and moderate optimism. More
How is the FDA measuring success when it comes to approval for new cancer drugs? More
Primary care practices, the front line of any health system, are on the verge of going out of business. A new way to pay for primary care could save them. More
Testing, both for active cases of COVID-19 and for antibodies indicating prior exposure to the disease, will be critical to resuming economic activity. In addition, scientists are racing to develop therapies for people who do get infected -- especially those who become seriously ill. More
From Shannon Brownlee and Jeanne Lenzer, how a toxic legacy of poor-quality research, media hype, lax regulatory oversight, and vicious partisanship has come home to roost in the search for effective treatments for COVID-19. More
In "Issues in Science and Technology," Shannon Brownlee and Jeanne Lenzer explain how our toxic legacy of bad science in medicine has affected coronavirus research. More
Breaking down the flawed logic of "What do we have to lose?" when it comes to untested Covid-19 treatments. More
Eager for insight on which patients might deteriorate, hospitals are cramming a validation process that often takes months or years into a couple weeks. More