Nearly 50 Percent of Federal Panelists Making Dietary Recommendations Have Money Ties to Food Industry
About half of the members of a U.S. federal government panel that shapes dietary recommendations in the United States have significant financial ties to big agriculture, processed food companies, weight loss companies, pharmaceutical companies, and other corporate organizations a recent report reveals. An additional four committee members had “possible” financial conflicts of interest.1 The Dietary […]
Merck’s COVID Anti-Viral Drug May Cause SAR-CoV-2 to Mutate
Scientists have found evidence to suggest that an anti-viral COVID-19 drug manufactured by Merck & Co. being used to treat COVID may be causing the SARS-CoV-2 virus to mutate and create new variants of the virus for which humans could have no immunity.1 The mechanism of action of the drug molnupiravir, a pill also sold […]
Private Equity Buyouts of Health Care Facilities Comes With Cost to Patients
The rising trend in burnout of health care workers in recent years has presented an opportunity for private equity corporations in the United States to invest in the health care market at record high rates.1 For several decades, multibillion-dollar corporate giants have been gaining control of many sectors of American society, including the food industry […]
U.S. Maternal Mortality Still Climbing
The maternal mortality rate in the United States is the highest of all developed nations and has been steadily rising since the 1990s. By definition, maternal mortality includes women who die during pregnancy, childbirth, or 42 days after birth during the postpartum period. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has deemed this […]
First Postpartum Depression Drug Fast Tracked and Licensed by FDA
On Aug. 4, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fast tracked licensure of the oral prescription medication Zurzuvae (zuranolone), manufactured by Sage Therapeutics, Inc. as a treatment for postpartum depression. Postpartum affects roughly one in seven women and typically begins after childbirth but, for some women, it can begin during later stages of […]
First Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill Approved by FDA
On July 13, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first ever non-prescription birth control pill. The progestin-only oral contraceptive known as Opill (norgestrel) is expected to be available in pharmacies, supermarkets, and convenience stores by early 2024. Opill claims a 93 percent efficacy rate in pregnancy prevention.1 Norgestrel Originally Approved in […]