Questions tagged [pharmaceutical]

Chemical substances given to people intended to cure disease or alleviate symptoms of disease.

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Was Donald Trump treated with pharmaceuticals derived from fetal stem cells?

A post on www.twitter.com [link] has garnered over 100K retweets and 345K likes which states: So it turns out the monoclonal antibodies that Trump is on are from fetal stem cells. So Trump is being treated/saved with dead babies. Republicans? Amy…
Phoenix
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In the past did Martin Shkreli offer free medication for those who could not afford it?

Martin Shkreli was a businessman in the pharmaceutical industry who became famous several years ago when his company increased some drug prices by a huge factor. I recently watched this video of him in court; to my surprise, I saw multiple people…
Ovi
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Is CPH4 from science fiction movie 'Lucy' real?

In the science-fiction film Lucy, the titular character takes a drug called CPH4 that increases her brain capacity. The writer and director of the film, Luc Besson, claims in several interviews that this drug is based on a real chemical…
svick
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Do typical modern pharmaceutical firms spend more on marketing than on R&D?

Developing new drugs is an expensive process. As a result the pharmaceutical industry spends a lot on R&D (15% of turnover is not unusual and is higher than most other major industries: see report from the EFPIA). But the industries critics point…
matt_black
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Did pills from China seized in South Korea contain the powdered flesh of dead babies?

According to CBS news (May 7, 2012) South Korea cracks down on human flesh capsules from China (AP) SEOUL, South Korea - South Korea has seized thousands of smuggled drug capsules filled with powdered flesh from dead babies, which some people…
Paul
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Are generic drugs equivalent to the "name-brand" alternatives?

I can buy 300 10-mg tablets of Loratadine for about $15, and 90 10-mg tablets of Claritin™ costs about $35. These days my health insurance charges me $50 for the name-brand, and as little as $2.91 (yeah, really) for the generic equivalent. Now, I am…
Robusto
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Do pricey medicines in the USA subsidise R&D for the rest of the world?

A recent (February 2018) report by the US government Council of Economic Advisors makes the following argument (my highlights): The United States both conducts and finances much of the biopharmaceutical innovation that the world depends on,…
matt_black
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Is nitrous oxide not used during labor in US hospitals because it is cheaper?

In much (most?) of the world, women are able to use laughing gas (nitrous oxide) to relieve pain during childbirth, but this is almost never available to women in the United States. Several websites (for example,Laughing gas making a comeback for…
user26744
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Is the pharmaceutical industry the most profitable business in the United States?

The Russia Today article Pharmageddon: America’s bitter pill claims The pharmaceutical industry remains the most profitable business in the US. More success and financial gain for the companies will always remain possible as long as more Americans…
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In states where medical marijuana laws are passed, did prescription painkiller sales decrease?

I recently heard that US states where medical marijuana laws are passed have seen a decrease in prescription painkillers sales. For the study, researchers analyzed all deaths caused by opioid overdoses between 1999 and 2010 in the U.S. Then, they…
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Does limiting the price of pharmaceuticals lower the number of new treatments produced?

A recent article in Forbes arguing against the latest US Government proposals on drug pricing argued the following: Everywhere they've been tried, price controls have reduced biopharmaceutical research spending, resulting in fewer vaccines,…
matt_black
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Was very little or no new medication developed in the USSR?

Prof. Robert (Haim) Belmaker, head of the Israeli Psychiatric Association, spoke today (2018-01-05) on the סדר יום / Daily Agenda radio program (Note this is a program in Hebrew). At some point in the conversation he claimed that "during the USSR's…
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Do 90% of new drugs not improve over previous drugs?

An article in the german online newspaper Spiegel Online starts with the headline 90 Prozent aller neuen Medikamente taugen nichts (90 percent of new drugs are no good) The article is a about a new report from the government-run insurance TK, the…
Mad Scientist
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Are the majority of modern cancer drugs useless?

Cancer is one of those diseases that cause dread in its victims and their families. Though many are treatable or even curable, many others are not and there is great pressure on medics to offer any source of hope the those suffering from hard to…
matt_black
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Have throat lozenges been shown to be ineffective?

I am currently suffering a sore throat. I have purchased some Betadine (gargleable iodine) which I believe and hope actually helps reduce the extent of the infection. At the risk of derision, I will confess I have also purchased Strepsils…
Oddthinking
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