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Should DayQuil Be Legal?
19 days ago
- DayQuil and other cold and flu combo drugs contain mostly ineffective ingredients like dextromethorphan and phenylephrine, with only a small amount of effective acetaminophen, leading to extreme markups of over 6,000%.
- Ineffective ingredients in combo drugs contribute to unintentional overdoses, especially acetaminophen, which is hidden in many products and can easily exceed safe daily limits when multiple medications are taken.
- The FDA's drug approval process has broken down, allowing drugs with scant effectiveness evidence to reach the market, and once approved, they are difficult to remove, as seen with phenylephrine.
- Drugmakers package placebos with effective drugs to boost sales, discouraging innovation and creating risks of double-dosing on active ingredients, worsening public health.
- Separating acetaminophen from combo drugs could reduce overdoses, as shown by FDA limits on prescription opioids, and eliminating these products would simplify regimens and reduce interaction risks.
FDA authorized Zyn nicotine pouches without knowing what they were made of
11 days ago
- FDA toxicologist Christy Leppanen conducted informal tests showing Zyn nicotine pouches do not dissolve, contrary to initial claims, raising concerns about microplastics risks.
- Leppanen alleges the FDA authorized Zyn without fully understanding the pouch material, ignored her requests for further scrutiny, and published a document falsely stating she signed off on the environmental review.
- The pouch material, identified by Danish researchers as semi-synthetic cellulose similar to cigarette filters, may shed microplastics that could enter the bloodstream and pose health risks.
- Former FDA officials criticized the agency for possibly failing to meet legal obligations in reviewing Zyn, potentially opening it up to litigation under the Tobacco Control Act.
- Despite internal objections, the FDA approved Zyn, later acknowledging in a report that its environmental assessment did not address microplastics from pouch materials, and corrected the false signature attribution months later.
America Is About to Go over a Peptide Cliff
6 hours ago
- BPC-157, a peptide rumored to heal various conditions, has surged in popularity due to influencers and RFK Jr., with many users sourcing it from unregulated online vendors.
- An FDA advisory committee voted 8-6 to recommend allowing compounding pharmacies to produce BPC-157, despite weak safety data and lack of FDA approval.
- The recommendation may lead to FDA approval given RFK Jr.'s enthusiasm, potentially opening a lucrative market for telehealth companies like Hims and Noom.
- Proponents argue that regulated compounding pharmacies are safer than the unregulated gray market, while critics warn it could falsely imply FDA endorsement.
- Other peptides (TB-500, KPV, MOTS-c) were also recommended; Emideltide was rejected, with more votes pending.

Hasty Briefsbeta

fda regulation

Should DayQuil Be Legal?

FDA authorized Zyn nicotine pouches without knowing what they were made of

America Is About to Go over a Peptide Cliff