Drugs & Pharmaceuticals

We live in a nation of needless pain!

At first glance, drug law enforcement and drug resistance seem to have nothing whatsoever in common. One involves microbes evolving in hospitals and laboratories; the other involves law enforcement trying to disrupt the illicit drug trade.

Welcome back to March Badness. In Part 1, we analyzed the contestants from the Placebo Region—supplements so implausible or diluted that they can't possibly work (or aren't even in the bottle).

It’s March, which means March Madness, when basketball fans everywhere fill out brackets and pretend they have even the remotest chance of predicting the games. In the spirit of the NCAA tournament, I decided to create a bracket of my own.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary recently stated that when it comes

If you're sufficiently old and have ever lived in a dorm, chances are you're either aware of this prank. Or the victim of it:

If you tell a naturopath, chiropractor, or other statin-hater that you’re taking a statin, chances are you’ll get a withering look — the kind that says, “Enjoy the poison, fool.” Or a sad head shake that seems to say, “Been nice knowing you.”

When it comes to pharmacology, the big story these days is the development of the “glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) mimics,” the first truly effective medications to treat obesity. It’s a fascinating story to be sure, but get set for a bumpy ride.