Pharma companies have taken to combining over-the-counter drugs into the same pill or bottle and charging higher prices. There's little evidence this marketing practice benefits anybody but said pharma companies. There's a new pesticide scare loose in the headlines: the weedkiller paraquat allegedly causes Parkinson's Disease. It's a phony scandal cooked up by activists and trial lawyers.
Join host Cameron English, Dr. Chuck Dinerstein and Dr. Josh Bloom as they break down these stories on Episode 60 of the Science Dispatch podcast:
Since 2020, we have been able to buy Advil Dual Action, OTC pills that contain a fixed dose of acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil). Who benefits from combining two medicines into one pill? Is it patients – or GSK that makes the product? I maintain it's the latter.
Environmental activists rely on several go-to tactics when fomenting fear of pesticides. One of their favorite methods is recruiting fake whistleblowers – often retired government scientists – who will spread conspiratorial nonsense about regulatory agencies and other researchers. Here's a real-world example of the "phony whistleblower gambit."
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