Some Social Scientists are Tired of Asking for Permission
From The New York Times: The Department of Health and Human Services's Office for Human Research Protections recently revised its rules for social science research. Studies...
Hundreds of Researchers to Replicate Psychology Studies
From BuzzFeed: As part of a new network called the Psychological Science Accelerator, more than 400 psychologists worldwide are teaming up to fix the so-called replication...
âSCIENTIFIC REGRESSâ
William A. Wilson presents shocking evidence that a lot of published research is false and that scienceâs self-correcting mechanisms are broken. âThere is no...
Australian Medical Journal Editor Fired, Others Resign Over Independence Concerns
The editor of the Australian Medical Association's journal was fired after he voiced concerns about changes that he felt endangered the journal's independence.
Trump’s Pick to Oversee Big Pharma has Ties to Opioid Industry
From The Intercept: Newly released documents show that Dr. Scott Gottlieb, President Trump's nominee to lead the FDA, has received almost $45,000 in speaking fees...
How UCLA is Fighting a Proxy Patent Battle in India
From The Wire: Xtandi, a life-prolonging cancer drug, currently does not have a patent in India, meaning that Indian cancer patients are able to access...
âFDA Issues New Draft Guidelines For âAppearanceâ of Conflicts of Interestâ
For STAT news, Pharmalot correspondent Ed Silverman reports on a new guideline being drafted by the FDA that adds new rules that could restrict...
Opioid Conflict-of-Interest Reveals Big Pharma’s Ties to Doctors
From CBC News: A McMaster University committee has been assigned to develop new opioid-prescribing guidelines for Canada's doctors. While the rules explicitly prohibited anyone with ties...
Do Antidepressants Increase Risk of Adult Suicide?
From From Insults to Respect: It is commonly assumed that antidepressants increase the risk of suicide in children and young adults, but not in adults...
âBrokers of Junk Science?â
The Center for Public Integrity reports that two scientific journals known for their industry ties have become go-to publications for researchers who minimize risks...
âWhy We Shouldnât Trade a Weakened FDA for More Medical Research Fundsâ
Ed Silverman at STAT reports that Congress has linked increased research funding to âfast-trackâ approval procedures. âBy linking the extra funds to speedier approvals,...
“Evidence-Based Medicine”: Corporate Medicine’s Instrument
From Medium: The notion of "evidence-based medicine" is that a particular treatment is considered effective if research finds it safe and efficacious in the majority...
The Epidemic of “Junk Science”
From The Lown Institute: Every year, we spend $240 billion to fund biomedical research. According to a science reporter and author Richard Harris, as much as half...
The Trump Administration Isn’t Taking on Health Care Waste
From U.S. News: The Trump administration is not taking any actions to address the epidemic of waste, i.e. unnecessary tests and treatments, in the medical...
Cancer Drug Offers a Cautionary Tale of Deregulating the FDA
To illustrate the dangers of Trump's plans to deregulate the FDA, Susan Perry from MinnPost provides a cautionary tale about Tarceva, a drug approved by the...
First Federal Zoloft Birth Defect Trial Scheduled
In a bellwether case, plaintiffs allege that Pfizer did not adequately warn patients that Zoloft (sertraline) would cause birth defects. The case is scheduled in Federal Court in March, and the verdict will have significant implications for future suits.
From Protoscience to Proper Science
From The Guardian: The field of psychology is fraught with fundamental problems in its research practices, from publication bias to data corruption. The field must...
âThe Hidden Harms of Antidepressantsâ
In a new article for Scientific American, Diana Kwon reports on how the true risks for suicide and aggression in children and teens taking...
âMany Clinical Trialsâ Findings Never Get Published. Hereâs Why Thatâs Badâ
STATâs watchdogs, Ivan Oransky and Adam Marcus, explain why unpublished studies for drug makers and researchers âput young patients at risk, particularly if those...
Mother Sues Pfizer for Alleged Zoloft-Related Birth Defects
The latest in a series of Zoloft-related birth defect lawsuits was filed in St. Louis yesterday, by a firm that claims to represent hundreds...
âFrench Drug Trial had Three Major Failingsâ
The drug trial that led to the death of one participant and brain damage to several others last month had three major shortcomings, according...
