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As the coronavirus continues to terrorize the world, people are pinning their hopes on companies that are doing vaccine and drug research to -- maybe -- get us out of this mess. Yet, many of the companies doing the work, especially Gilead Science, are "the bad guys." Except when we need them. Gilead's drug, remdesivir, is now in clinical trials in China so they're OK for now. Hypocrisy at its finest.

We have made amazing progress in the treatment of COVID-19. Two therapies – steroids and remdesivir – have already been shown to help. Those who benefit from these treatments owe thanks to patients who volunteered to participate in controlled clinical trials, and the physicians and pharmaceutical companies that lead them.

Given the abundance of readily available, free, effective (albeit imperfect) vaccines for many months, why are we seeing a surge in COVID cases and hospitalizations? Let's examine the three primary factors that dictate the severity of an outbreak of a viral illness.

The value of hydroxychloroquine in treating COVID-19 patients continues to rise from the ashes of refutation in the medical literature. The latest iteration is a meta-analysis of utilizing the drug early in ambulatory patients' care to lessen the undesirable outcomes of infection, hospitalization, and death. Several of our readers and members of our Board of Scientific Advisors believe that this study is important and that we disregard it at our risk. We are letting a proponent of each side make their case. 

You wouldn’t want to be cared for by a doctor who doesn’t wash his or her hands. You wouldn’t want to be operated on with instruments that weren’t sterilized? So why would you want to be treated by a doctor wearing a white coat that hasn’t been washed in a week? Many white coats are covered in bacteria like MRSA -– and they are dirty. So it’s time to hang them up for good.

The development of antibiotics and other antimicrobial therapies is arguably the greatest achievement of modern medicine. However, overuse and misuse of antimicrobial therapy predictably leads to resistance in microorganisms.

Whole Foods Magazine recently published a story alleging that there is no evidence vindicating the safety of "GMOs." How well does this claim stand up to scrutiny?

Prions are the smallest and possibly the most dangerous of all infectious pathogens. They are also unique in that they contain no genetic material at all — just proteins. But as guest writer Steve Schow describes, those proteins can do some horrible things if they get into your brain. 

Antiretroviral drugs have had a profound effect on AIDS, however, long-term toxicity of the drugs can be a problem. Fortunately, efforts to discover different classes of AIDS drugs have been successful. The different classes are possible because of knowledge about the life cycle of HIV. Here is a simplified explanation of how this works.

Methanol sounds scary but fear evaporates quickly when people find that even if you consume nothing but aspartame all day, you will get about half the methanol that's in a banana. Yet charlatans continue to claim artificial sweeteners will give you cancer.

EDP-323, an investigational inhibitor of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), is showing promising results in Phase 2a trials. While other RSV therapies and vaccines are approved for prevention, EDP-323 could become the first antiviral drug specifically designed to treat RSV infections. Here's a look at some promising data.

In the mood for a lesson on drug-drug interactions? I didn't think so. But you got one anyhow. Might as well read it, no?

This is some potentially exciting news coming from China: a Covid drug called Azvudine (originally an HIV drug) that appears to be quite effective in reducing symptoms from the infection. However, there are two problems: 1) The information comes from Chinese newspapers, not journals; 2) the science doesn't add up.

Humans have a long history of viral infections. But other than the molecular analysis of current or recently circulating pathogens, the data is fragmentary. But as guest writer Peter Doherty explains, that may change as researchers probe more ancient DNA from Egyptian mummies, where there is evidence of lethal tuberculosis and malaria.

From grade-school “remedial” teaching to the Nobel stage, molecular biologist Carol W. Greider turned obstacles into fuel for discovery. Her groundbreaking discovery of a crucial enzyme, telomerase, reshaped our understanding of aging, cancer, and cellular immortality. Greider’s story is a rebuke to the cult of “perfection” and a reminder that brilliance often hides behind what the system calls “deficiency.”

Methamphetamine has made an unprecedented comeback, surpassing even fentanyl in drug overdose deaths in certain parts of the U.S. It hasn't shown up by accident; it's an offshoot of the misinformed anti-opioid movement. But it took two different government screwups to cause this latest mess: one that gave us pure, cheap meth and another that gave addicts the reason to use it. Nice going.

Usually, our strategy to handle unfair attacks is to ignore them. But occasionally, the assaults are so egregious that they deserve a full-throated rebuttal. This is one of those times.

The Centers for Medicare Services released its ratings of our nation’s hospitals last week, which caused considerable consternation among hospitals and academic medical centers. But when you consider its only reporting the average star ratings for New York hospitals based on a star rating that itself is a weighted average of 64 measures, the report doesn't contain a great deal of useful information.

The First Amendment's guarantees are not absolute. A person cannot “shout 'fire!' in a crowded theater” and put the lives of others in imminent danger. As Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson wrote, “the Constitution is not a suicide pact.”

Between COVID, HIV, Dengue, Ebola, and emerging flu variants, the last thing the world needs is another type of pathogen, let alone with no treatment or cure. But, although rare, prion diseases, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are both infectious and fatal. Although they may sound mysterious, much of the pathology of prions can be explained with simple organic chemistry. (Which may or may not be worse than the disease itself.) Enjoy.

Some people look at you as if you have a cancer death wish when they see a Diet Coke can in your hand. But their glass of wine is a far greater risk. Here's why.

From the anti-vaccine movement and COVID denialism to the promotion of raw pet food, the wellness-industrial complex has repeatedly shown that its primary concern is profit — not health. The result is suffering and death of animals and humans that could have been prevented.

Tattooing and body piercing are somewhat trendy now, having gained popularity in the 1990s. However, these forms of "body modification/body art" are anything but new. Both have been around since ancient times and are practiced in many cultures. Although their popularity attests that millions of customers feel both procedures are worth doing, there are some potential risks and complications.
Tattooing

The British broadcaster has become part of a cynical anti-science collaboration.

A new JAMA Open Network paper concludes that Paxlovid is effective in reducing hospitalizations and deaths in high-risk patients who have been vaccinated or have acquired immunity from previous infections. And a look back at how the drug works its "magic."