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Antivaccine nonsense Bad science Medicine

Paxlovid is NOT “#Pfizermectin”

Pfizer recently announced that its new drug Paxlovid was 89% effective in preventing hospitalization due to COVID-19 and is seeking emergency use authorization for it. Antivaxxers claim that ivermectin targets the same protease and is being “suppressed” to protect Pfizer’s profits, even coining the hashtag #Pfizermectin. What’s the real story? Hint: Antivaxxers…exaggerate. And distort.

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Antivaccine nonsense Clinical trials Medicine

WTF happened to The BMJ?

The BMJ recently published an “exposé” by Paul Thacker alleging patient unblinding, data falsification, and other wrongdoing by a subcontractor. It was a highly biased story embraced by antivaxxers, with a deceptively framed narrative and claims not placed into proper context, leading me to look into the broader question: WTF happened to The BMJ? (Updated and revised from a week ago.)

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Antivaccine nonsense Cancer Medicine

Dr. Ryan Cole and Mike Adams: Fear mongering about cancer and COVID-19 vaccines

Antivaxxers have long claimed that vaccines cause cancer. Dr. Ryan Cole is now spreading the same misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine.

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Antivaccine nonsense Bad science Medicine Politics Popular culture

After FDA approval of Comirnaty, antivaxxers claim it’s still “experimental”

On Monday the FDA granted full approval to Comirnaty, the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. By Tuesday, antivaxxers had a propaganda line that the vaccine is still “experimental.”

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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Skepticism/critical thinking

About that Salk Institute paper on the “deadly” COVID-19 spike protein

Antivaxxers have been working overtime lately to claim that the spike protein used as the antigen in COVID-19 vaccines is deadly, and they’ll cite any old tenuous evidence based on a misunderstood (by them) study to do it.