American Thought Leaders

From Statins to Paxil, Here’s What’s Wrong With a Lot of Medical Research | Maryanne Demasi

Dec 3, 2025
Maryanne Demasi, a former medical scientist and now an independent investigative journalist, dives deep into the unsettling world of pharmaceutical trials. She highlights how industry manipulation leads to the suppression of crucial drug data, particularly with statins and psychiatric medications like Paxil. Demasi candidly discusses the dangers of corporate influence in medical research, revealing systemic problems including hidden trial harms and censorship of dissenting voices. Her insights on the need for transparency and accountability in healthcare are both alarming and thought-provoking.
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INSIGHT

Who Controls Statin Data Controls The Narrative

  • The clinical-trial data for statins is controlled by a single collaboration that agreed not to share raw data with third parties.
  • That control prevents independent verification and allows industry-funded analyses to dominate prescribing guidelines.
INSIGHT

Statins Reduce Events But Not Overall Survival

  • Most people prescribed statins are low-risk and gain no overall mortality benefit despite reduced cardiovascular events.
  • Statins may help a small subgroup, likely those with established heart disease, possibly via anti-inflammatory effects rather than LDL lowering.
INSIGHT

Trial Design Can Hide Drug Harms

  • Trial designs can mask harms by excluding intolerant participants during run-in periods before randomisation.
  • Industry-funded trials use such design tricks to understate side effects like statin muscle pain.
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