The Jan. 24 WSJ ran an Op-Ed on the anthrax letters investigation and meaning of 1.4% silicon in the letter anthrax, by Edward Jay Epstein. Subtitled “The FBI disproved its main theory about how the spores were weaponized,” excerpts from the article follow: The investigation of the 2001 anthrax attacks ended as far as the…
Excerpts from another excellent Gardiner Harris piece: In a report expected to be made public on Thursday, Daniel R. Levinson, the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services, said 90 percent of universities relied solely on the researchers themselves to decide whether the money they made in consulting and other relationships with…
I wrote an Op-Ed for the Portland, Maine Sunday Telegram about my bizarre journey trying to get a prescription filled. It was published August 7, 2016. Here it is. http://www.pressherald.com/2016/08/07/maine-voices-drug-costs-should-make-you-blink/ ELLSWORTH — Pricing of and access to medication are handled in an insane manner in the United States. It has been said that between 20…
It is only one study. But it was carefully done, used interesting methods, and it tried to explore issues that have rarely been studied. Researchers from the University of Maryland studied students who had new symptoms of influenza to see if infectious flu virus spread during coughs, sneezing, or regular breathing. They looked at nasal…
The following excerpts from today’s NY Times article point to serious failures of data collection, analysis, and commitment to safety at FDA. The failures follow lax, politically-driven regulations, which allow products to be licensed without data if they are substantially like other licensed products. There is no good guideline for how alike the products must…
According to the AAP, 86 American children have died from Covid-19 through July 30, 2020. (UPDATE Aug 16: 186 was a mistake) According to the CDC in its latest year reporting on flu deaths, “During the 2018–2019 season, 136 deaths in children with laboratory–confirmed influenza virus infection were reported in the United States. However, influenza-associated pediatric deaths are likely…