Category: Clinical trials

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Antivaccine nonsense Bioethics Clinical trials Medicine

Should we bypass phase 3 trials of a COVID-19 vaccine?

Levi Quackenboss, COVID-19 with spike protein, and hydroxychloroquine

Steve Salzberg proposed, in essence, bypassing phase 3 trials for a COVID-19 vaccine. It was a very bad idea for a number of reasons. To his credit, Steve later admitted his mistake.

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Clinical trials Medicine Politics Popular culture

Yale epidemiologist Harvey Risch defends hydroxychloroquine in Newsweek—badly

Henry Ford Hospital and Harvey Risch

Yale epidemiology professor Harvey Risch published an embarrassingly bad op-ed in Newsweek defending hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. It reminded me how much acupuncture and hydroxychloroquine believers have in common.

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Clinical trials Medicine Personal Politics Popular culture Skepticism/critical thinking

Henry Ford Hospital hydroxychloroquine trial: Not good evidence that the drug works for COVID-19

Henry Ford Hospital and Harvey Risch

Recently, Henry Ford Hospital published a study of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 that showed a benefit. Unfortunately, it was a bias-prone retrospective study. That didn’t stop President Trump from touting the drug again.

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Bad science Clinical trials Medicine

Dexamethasone and hydrochloroquine: A tale of two drugs for COVID-19

Dexamethasone

Science by press release is never good. The press release claiming that dexamethasone is effective against severe COVID-19 is no exception.

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Bad science Clinical trials Medicine Politics Popular culture

The Surgisphere debacle

Surgisphere

I got it wrong about something. It turns out that recent Lancet hydroxychloroquine study was likely fraudulent, thanks to a small, very dodgy company called Surgisphere. Here, I admit and explain my error and try to set things right.