Category: Medications

From stigma to science: Rethinking the U.S. drug scheduling system

In 1971, President Nixon initiated a battle that would reshape the United States: The War on Drugs. As a key part of that campaign, he enacted the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), which authorized the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to categorize…

How drugmakers manipulate your health from diagnosis to prescription

It is said that 57 percent of U.S. doctors receive drugmaker/industry funding and 66 percent of U.S. adults are now on prescription drugs. Any correlation? Drug ads now cast such a wide “symptom net,” comedian Chris Rock said he expected to…

The food-drug interaction risks your doctor may be missing

As a health care professional, I’ve often observed how one critical aspect of medication safety and efficacy gets overlooked: food-drug interactions. Every day, we prescribe and dispense powerful medications — but what patients eat alongside thos…

Reassessing the impact of CDC’s opioid guidelines on chronic pain care [PODCAST]

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Internal medicine and pediatric physician Charles LeBaron discusses his article “How the CDC’s opioid rules created a crisis for chronic pain patients.” …

Reassessing the impact of CDC’s opioid guidelines on chronic pain care [PODCAST]

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Internal medicine and pediatric physician Charles LeBaron discusses his article “How the CDC’s opioid rules created a crisis for chronic pain patients.” …

Why retail pharmacies are the future of diverse clinical trials

The importance of diversity in clinical trials is well-documented, yet unfortunately the lack of diversity still occurs at an alarming rate. As a result, we continue to have less effective treatments, poorer health outcomes, one-size-fits-all medicine …

The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain

As a health care writer and data analyst, I hear frequently from patients who are being denied safe and effective pain care due to unscientific bias on the part of U.S. health care agencies—and sometimes on the part of otherwise once-reputable medical …

Biologics are not small molecules: the case for pre-allergy testing in an era of immune-based therapies

“Once it’s in your body, there’s no taking it back.” That’s what the infusion nurse told a friend of mine after administering the injection. She had just started a biologic medication for an autoimmune condition. Immediate…

Why the FDA’s outdated prescription rules hinder access to birth control and naloxone [PODCAST]

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Surgeon and author Jeffrey A. Singer discusses his article “The FDA’s outdated prescription rules are failing women and opioid users.” He argues that the…

Reforming the 340B drug discount program through data, clarity, and collaboration [PODCAST]

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Health care executive Gavin Magaha discusses his article “Advancing drug discount programs starts with collaboration and clarity.” He outlines how the 340B dru…