FDA Head Robert Califf Battles Misinformation — Sometimes With Fuzzy Facts
FDA Commissioner Robert Califf has called misinformation one of the deadliest killers in the United States. As the FDA tries to fight that scourge, it sometimes stumbles.
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How a Combination of Covid Lawsuits and Media Coverage Keeps Misinformation Churning
Even as the covid-19 pandemic wanes, litigation — whether about vaccines, masks, or a range of other public health policies made during the pandemic — isn’t about to end.
By Darius Tahir -
Need to Get Plan B or an HIV Test Online? Facebook May Know About It
Twelve of the largest drugstores in the U.S. sent shoppers’ sensitive health information to Facebook or other platforms, according to an investigation by The Markup and KFF Health News.
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Tech Luminaries Give RFK Jr.’s Anti-Vaccine Message a Boost
The views of the leader of a broad anti-vaccine movement who is now running for president are unchallenged in public forums run by several prominent Silicon Valley figures.
By Darius Tahir -
How the Mixed Messaging of Vaccine Skeptics Sows Seeds of Doubt
Some GOP members of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic have two-stepped around vaccine skepticism, proclaiming themselves to be pro-vaccine while also validating the beliefs of people who oppose vaccine mandates. The result could have serious public health consequences.
By Darius Tahir -
AI May Be on Its Way to Your Doctor’s Office, But It’s Not Ready to See Patients
Giant corporations like Microsoft and Google, plus many startups, are eyeing health care profits from programs based on artificial intelligence.
By Darius Tahir -
Social Media Is Fueling Enthusiasm for New Weight Loss Drugs. Are Regulators Watching?
Online platforms are overflowing with testimonials for GLP-1s. The drugs show promise for inducing weight loss, but many aren’t FDA-approved for that use.
By Darius Tahir and Hannah Norman -
Mark Cuban Has Been Taking On the Drug Industry. But Which One?
The billionaire entrepreneur and NBA team owner is making waves with his new drug company. But his generics aren’t always the lowest-priced deal.
By Darius Tahir -
Postcard From San Francisco
The Biggest, Buzziest Conference for Health Care Investors Convenes Amid Fears the Bubble Will Burst
This year’s JPMorgan confab, the first since covid’s chilling effect on such gatherings, was full of energy and enthusiasm. But it was also marked by questions about the future of health care investment.
By Darius Tahir -
Behavioral Telehealth Loses Momentum Without a Regulatory Boost
As flexible treatment options spurred by the covid pandemic wane, patients relying on medications classified as controlled substances worry that without action to extend the loosened rules, it’ll be harder to get their meds.
By Darius Tahir -
A New Use for Dating Apps: Chasing STDs
For contact tracers of sexually transmitted diseases, telephones and text messages have become ineffective. Dating apps increasingly are their best bet for informing people of their exposure risks.
By Darius Tahir -
Patients Complain Some Obesity Care Startups Offer Pills, and Not Much Else
A new wave of obesity care startups offer access to new weight loss medications. But do they offer good health care?
By Darius Tahir -
Blind to Problems: How VA’s Electronic Record System Shuts Out Visually Impaired Patients
Veterans Affairs’ electronic health records aren’t friendly to blind- and low-vision users, whether they’re patients or employees. It’s a microcosm of America’s health care system.
By Darius Tahir -
Embedded Bias: How Medical Records Sow Discrimination
Medical records can contain seemingly objective descriptions that are actually full of coded language and subtext. How does that affect care?
By Darius Tahir -
Big Employers Are Offering Abortion Benefits. Will the Information Stay Safe?
Work-based benefits may expand access to abortion for people who live in areas where the service is unavailable, but experts warn that claiming benefits could create a paper trail for law enforcement officials to follow.
By Darius Tahir -
Health Care Startups Turn to ‘Coaches’ to Help Patients Cope and Monitor Treatment
The interest, and investment, in coaching and encouragement is a curious turn for an industry that likes to boast of its billion-dollar pills and sophisticated artificial intelligence.
By Darius Tahir -
Why the War in Ukraine Might Make Root Canals More Difficult
Russia’s attacks on Ukraine are making it harder for the health care system to secure important supplies, including gases used in imaging and by dentists.
By Darius Tahir -
The Private Sector Steps In to Protect Online Health Privacy, but Critics Say It Can’t Be Trusted
Health data can be shockingly available. A group of nonprofits and corporations is proposing to patch up the holes in health apps, but many of the biggest companies didn’t participate in the proposal’s creation.
By Darius Tahir -
Heartbeat-Tracking Technology Raises Patients’ and Doctors’ Worries
As Google joins Apple in adding heart rhythm sensors to wearable devices, and millions of people gain access to alerts that flag when their hearts might have skipped a beat, cardiologists are wondering what to do with all the information.
By Darius Tahir -
Tech Glitches at One VA Site Raise Concerns About a Nationwide Rollout
The more than $16 billion, decade-long effort by the Department of Veterans Affairs was designed to provide seamless electronic health records for patients from enlistment in the military past discharge.
By Darius Tahir
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