Category: Clinical Trials

Heirarchy of Evidence

The misuse and abuse of meta-analyses

The meta-analysis has been misused and weaponized to promote dubious COVID-19 treatments.

/ November 25, 2021

Virtual Reality Therapy

Are virtual reality headsets a valid tool for treating back pain? Maybe.

/ November 23, 2021
The BMJ's Facebook logo

What the heck happened to The BMJ?

Last week, The BMJ published an "exposé" by Paul Thacker alleging patient unblinding, data falsification, and other wrongdoing by a company running three sites for the massive clinical trial of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. 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...

/ November 8, 2021

Laser Therapy for Vaginal Rejuvenation

Some doctors are offering laser therapy for "vaginal rejuvenation". It is no more effective than placebo, can cause harm, and is very expensive.

/ October 19, 2021
Ivermectin repurposing

Ivermectin is the new hydroxychloroquine, take 6: Incompetence and fraud everywhere!

Ivermectin is the new hydroxychloroquine, a drug repurposed for COVID-19 that almost certainly doesn't work but is still being touted as a "miracle cure" by quacks, grifters, and political ideologues. Are the data supporting it all fraud?

/ October 11, 2021

Preventing Malaria: A Glimmer of Hope?

A recent clinical trial tested a new approach to malaria prevention involving monoclonal antibodies.

/ September 14, 2021
Ivermectin repurposing

Ivermectin is the new hydroxychloroquine, take 5: The Nobel Prize gambit

Ivermectin continues to be the new hydroxychloroquine, an unproven repurposed drug promoted to treat COVID-19. Now the advocates are pointing to the history of the drug's developers being awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine, as though that has anything to do with its effectiveness against COVID-19.

/ August 9, 2021
Ivermectin repurposing

Ivermectin is the new hydroxychloroquine, take 4: Bret Weinstein misrepresents meta-analyses

Evolutionary biologist turned podcaster Bret Weinstein has promoted the anthelmintic drug ivermectin as a highly effective treatment for COVID-19 based on a massive misunderstanding of a meta-analysis. Here, we correct this misunderstanding and explain why ivermectin is unlikely to be effective against COVID-19.

/ August 2, 2021

FDA’s Decision to Approve Aduhelm (aducanumab) for Alzheimer’s

Criticism of the FDA's decision to approve aducanumab for Alzheimer's disease.

/ July 7, 2021