COVID-19
As we all emerge from our bubbles of limited contact with others, we are walking straight into the double whammy of flu season and COVID-19 germs. Can your body fight off exposure to the flu and COVID? Your immune system feeds off the basics of life — sleep, movement, food…
In early August, my husband and I had 17 people from five different states stay at our home for our annual week-long family gathering. The prospect of my family, especially my husband’s 97-year old mother, gathering during COVID under one roof for a week scared the hell out of me. …
Happy Monday. We’re hoping that your week is off to a good start. We’re pleased to have good news to report this week. First, Phase I and II trials of a COVID-19 vaccine show promising results. Also, patients who are mildly obese and taking hypertension medications may benefit from bariatric…
Much has come out regarding COVID-19 (shocker), so we’ve put together a special COVID-only news roundup to keep you up to date. Most of it — mainly, the part about COVID potentially affecting babies and how chloroquine is really not a safe bet — is bleak. But, we end with…
Happy Tuesday, everyone. Another week is in the books, and we’re pleased to have some good news to report. But first the bad news: It turns out that certain inactive ingredients in drugs may have an effect on you, and the FDA added to their list of subpar and potentially…
Are you taking heartburn medication like Prilosec, Prevacid, and Nexium? You may want to think twice as new evidence suggests that taking those drugs, known as proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs), can increase one’s odds of getting COVID-19. The new research, published in pre-print form in The American Journal of Gastroenterology, was…
The world changed in March 2020, when the country — and the planet — shut down to help slow the spread of COVID-19. For most of us, the pandemic signaled the first time we were asked to shelter in place, maintain our distance from our friends and neighbors, forgo handshakes…
Good morning, and welcome to the start of another week. It turns out that Twitter may be useful beyond giving purpose to internet trolls. Also, you may want to put down your phone for a minute and check to see which hand sanitizer you have — because some are now…
We’re officially closer to finding a new COVID-19 vaccine. In the last two weeks, pharmaceutical companies Moderna and AstraZeneca released promising data on their vaccines — respectively named mRNA-1273 and AZD1222. There’s still more testing to be done, but we’re getting closer to finding a heavily vetted vaccine that may…
A new study is claiming that a cocktail of the mineral zinc, the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, and the antibiotic azithromycin lead to fewer hospitalizations and deaths in patients with COVID-19. Of 518 COVID-19 patients who were not hospitalized, 2.8% of those who were treated with the combination therapy were hospitalized…
Today the House Oversight Committee will hold a briefing on the FDA’s process for approving a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. The Chair of the Oversight Committee, Carolyn Maloney, asked me to speak to the staff organizing the speakers and questions. As a a member of the FDA’s Drug Safety…
Good morning, all. We hope you’re hanging tough and that your week is off to a splendid start. As for the news cycle — things could be better. A new study on a medication used to treat COVID-19 contradicts its efficacy, and another pharmaceutical company recalled a batch of Metformin….
We need a vaccine and we need it fast. In May, President Trump announced Operation Warp Speed, a public-private partnership that aims to deliver 300 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine by January 2021. This sounds like a great plan, but rapidly testing and approving vaccines without having a complete…
There’s a COVID-19 vaccine on the way — or so the Wednesday headlines, which heralded positive results from Pfizer and BioNTech’s early-stage trial of a vaccine for COVID-19, would lead you to believe. A closer look at the data, and the adverse effects, however, reveals that it’s probably too early…
A petition was filed on June 24 that called for a black box warning for SGLT-2 inhibitors that are being prescribed for off-label used. The diabetes drug metformin is having a moment, as it may help stop COVID-19 deaths. And a cavalier and rebellious attitude in younger folks who think…
Dexamethasone, a cheap steroid medication that has been around for decades, was shown in a new, large trial to reduce deaths in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. This news is exciting and promising, yet the risks and side effects associated with this drug haven’t been widely discussed, and so to say…
A major study that showed hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 was dangerous was revoked, leading many to believe that it is in fact effective. Sorry to confuse you, but that’s not the case. Just because the study was retracted doesn’t necessarily mean its findings are incorrect; it means that the data to…
Two drugs have been shown to have positive benefits against COVID-19, one early in the illness, the other for the very sick. This is exciting medical professionals and inching us closer to potential treatment. Still, these results should be celebrated with a healthy dose of skepticism as there is still…
It seems every time we learn something about COVID-19, it is contradicted within days. The most recent about-face still has me spinning: We were first told that COVID-19 germs spread to other people before symptoms appear, called “asymptomatic shedding,” and it was estimated to happen for up to two weeks before symptoms appeared.
Even before the COVID-19 epidemic hit, FDA inspections of drug manufacturing facilities – especially those located outside the United States, including India and China – were lax at best. The main problem? Too many facilities to inspect and not enough inspectors.
Are you considering taking a COVID-19 antibody test to see if you’ve already had the disease? Not all tests are equal. Read below to find out which tests the FDA has validated. Also, a new study was released which concludes how taking antidepressants while pregnant can affect the newborns. FDA…
One of the most promising treatments for COVID-19 is convalescent plasma, a component of blood. People who have been infected with the virus and are now healthy have developed COVID-19-fighting antibodies, which, the theory is, can be given to people currently sick with COVID-19 so that those antibodies can boost…
You may have heard about COVID-19 antibody testing, which can determine if you might have been infected with the novel coronavirus. I was intrigued as well by this testing, even though I never had a nasal swab (PCR) test, which would determine if I had the virus at the time…
As we re-enter the world after months of self-isolating, is there going to be another spike in COVID-19 infections? Perhaps. However, as you increase your contact with more people, having a strong immune system is a key part of keeping healthy. To boost your immune system, make sure you are getting…
New study shows that HCQ increases chance of death in COVID-19 patients. Additionally, research shows promising hope for a new HIV drug. Should acetaminophen be used more frequently for sports injuries?
Lots of internet ads are promising to prevent, treat or cure COVID-19. Here’s the truth on Vitamin C, zinc and colloidal silver.
Before you buy an “at-home” test online for COVID-19, you should know that they’re (probably) not accurate.
Will turning men into women save their lives? Of course, I am speaking facetiously. Doctors on the front line have noticed that women seem to survive COVID-19 better than men. A new report estimates that twice as many women survive as men. This has generated a debate among scientists: What…
Many people turn to the over-the-counter drug Pepcid (famotidine) after they’ve eaten spicy food, and a new trial is testing whether the heartburn medication may also fight COVID-19. Pepcid belongs to a group of drugs known as H2 blockers. Other medications in this category include Tagamet (cimetidine) and Zantac (ranitidine)….
Have we become afraid of death? Were people a millennium or two ago less afraid? What is worse: to die or to take untested drugs that hurt me before I die anyway?
Dr Fauci announced the positive preliminary results of a study of remdesivir coming from the department he heads, NIAID. The same day, the manufacturers of redesivir also released positive news from a low quality study.
Taking medical advice from someone who isn’t a doctor is risky and potentially life-threatening. Here’s why.
While much of the focus for potential COVID-19 treatments has been on drugs that were either created or under development in the United States, one drug, Avigan (favipiravir), which was developed in Japan, is drawing attention.
In the effort to find a treatment for COVID-19, existing medications for cancer might seem like unlikely candidates to fight a virus are being tested. Yet scientists have a theory that Calquence (acalbrutinib), which is approved to treat leukemia and lymphoma might be effective.
A hundred or more clinical trials are underway testing a variety of drugs for coronavirus. What are these clinical trials we keep hearing about? If I have COVID should I join a trial?
Big news this week about the first research on remdesivir as a treatment for COVID-19. Remdesivir is an antiviral medication initially developed years ago by Gilead Sciences as a potential treatment for ebola. Remdesivir ultimately failed as a treatment for Ebola. Not a good study Remdesivir received a lot of…
Doctors are combining Z-Pak (azithromycin) with chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine. Both drugs affect the heart, are they safe to take together?
Three doctors share some words of advice, as well as their own perspective on the novel coronavirus pandemic. Hana Akselrod, MD MD, an assistant professor of medicine in the infectious diseases division at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences “My first advice is do not panic….
This week, Su Robotti, Founder of MedShadow Foundation, and Jonathan Block, Content Manager, talk about the importance of ensuring that clinical trials for medicines are conducted with a diverse population. Did you know that African-Americans need a higher dose of warfarin than other groups do? That’s what makes this kind…
