Fixing Healthcare Podcast

Several recent news stories have revived the debate over whether the novel coronavirus was first transmitted from a bat to a human via a wet market in Wuhan, China, or whether its origins can be traced to the Wuhan Institute of Virology as a result of a laboratory error. A U.S. intelligence report found that three researchers at the institute were sick enough in November 2019 to require hospital care—meaning they had symptoms consist with Covid-19 a full month before the first case was officially reported in China. If that’s the case, how might the virus have made its way into the institute? And would this explanation legitimize past internet conspiracy theories? Much more on this and the following questions in this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth with Jeremy Corr and Dr. Pearl. [01:01] Each show begins with the most recent and relevant facts concerning the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on American life. What’s happening and what does it mean? [03:07] How effective are current vaccines against the new global variants? [05:08] Wet market or lab: where did the novel coronavirus originate? [11:59] Why is there still so much distrust in the U.S. pertaining to Covid-19? [13:38] Will vaccinated Americans need booster shots? [18:47] Can schools and employers legally mandate vaccination? [23:36] What’s good this week? [26:46] What are “breakthrough infections” and should we be concerned? [29:24] Was cancelling the Olympic Games a smart move by Japanese leaders? [31:01] Would a financial incentive combat vaccine hesitancy? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. If you have coronavirus questions for the hosts, please visit the contact page or send us a message on Twitter or LinkedIn. *To ensure the credibility of this program, Coronavirus: The Truth refuses to accept sponsorship, outside funding sources or guests with any financial or personal conflicts of interest. The post CTT #39: What’s the truth about Covid-19’s origins? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Dr. Anthony Fauci recently called for schools to reopen “full blast,” with in-person classes five days a week. Meanwhile, CDC officials said that schools should resume in-person learning as soon as possible *if* social distancing and masks are properly enforced. When it comes to this pandemic, it’s always risky trying to predict what public health guidance will look like four months into the future. But a “more normal school experience” seems likely, according to Fixing Healthcare co-host Dr. Robert Pearl. More on that and the following questions in this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth with Jeremy Corr and Dr. Pearl. [00:58] Each show begins with the most recent and relevant facts concerning the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on American life. What’s happening and what does it mean? [03:30] What’s the latest Covid-19 news for parents? [05:11] Are Americans afraid of returning to life as (pre-pandemic) normal? [08:09] What are the options for school in the fall? [10:57] What exactly is herd immunity? [18:55] What’s happening with pandemic in India? [23:51] Can Ibuprofen decrease immune-system response to Covid-19? [25:26] What’s good this week? [27:44] How does heart disease correlate with Covid-19 risks? [29:51] Do Americans really observe or understand CDC guidelines? [32:58] How could CDC guidance and public health messaging be clearer and more consistent?    [39:33] Should parents vaccinate young kids? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. If you have coronavirus questions for the hosts, please visit the contact page or send us a message on Twitter or LinkedIn. *To ensure the credibility of this program, Coronavirus: The Truth refuses to accept sponsorship, outside funding sources or guests with any financial or personal conflicts of interest. The post CTT #38: Masks in classrooms for students this fall? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Marty Makary, a nationally renowned surgeon and educator at Johns Hopkins, goes about life as if having ingested a truth serum for which there is no antidote. Hear him speak or read his writing, and you’ll find no punches pulled. On Fox News, where he’s a regular commentator, Makary was openly critical of the CDC’s double-masking recommendation, calling it “mostly a show.” And in a WSJ article published in February 2021, he claimed the U.S. would achieve herd immunity by April, arguing that experts had radically under-calculated the nation’s “natural immunity.” In his latest book, The Price We Pay, Makary boldly confessed to having overprescribed opioid medications to his patients. Some view Makary’s self-imposed honesty policy as a public service, both righteous and good. Others call him reckless and attention-seeking. He is aware that his unique brand of candor isn’t for everyone: “It’s a lonely place, when you try to talk truth to what you truly believe based on the best information.” Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr called upon Makary to share his unfiltered views about the culture of American medicine. The doctor did not disappoint. Marty Makary’s Interview Highlights On useless memorization in medical education  “I would get rid of all the useless sh*t we teach our medical students and pre-med students and residents and fellows—all the 16 years of education that I went through, learning stuff that has nothing to do with patient care that you don’t need to memorize. And it came at the exclusion of so many other things that are important to know, like how to break bad news … We do that all the time to our young. It’s disgusting what we’re doing, making every medical student memorize the Krebs Cycle at six different points in their education, for what?” On humility “I have enormous respect for … Dr. Fauci and many others, but I think it would help their credibility if they showed more humility and apologized for some of the big things they got wrong. I tried to do this myself in my recent book, The Price We Pay, with all the opioids I prescribed. All my colleagues were doing it as well.  It didn’t make it right. I still feel bad about it. I mean, probably some people had fatal addiction from opioids that I gave them, they should not have received. Now, I could justify it, but you know what? It’s therapeutic to me at least to say, ‘I had it wrong.’ And it’s probably good for people to see that humility.” On the oligarchy of medical journals “The journals have been largely controlled by a very small group of like-minded people and they tend to use cronyism to hire their editorial boards … The value of diversity is to bring multiple points of view, sometimes points of view that challenge preexisting ideas.” On letting doctors be doctors “Can I say something a little radical here? How about we get the monkeys off our back as doctors? All this peer-to-peer, pre-authorization, you can’t do this on this, the all-or-nothing clinical pathways that disregard the fact that every patient is unique. They’re individuals with their own wishes and their own goals and their own unique circumstances, especially when they’re older. How about we let doctors be doctors, accept practice variation but do it within certain boundaries where we can look at the practice on an annual basis or on a six month basis and say that this practice pattern appears to be reasonable or this practice pattern appears to be a pattern of concern, a yellow flag or this practice pattern exceeds a threshold that a broad consensus of experts believe to be indefensible.” On suing patients for unpaid medical bills “I’ve yet to find more than a handful of people that think it’s reasonable to sue the socks off an everyday Walmart worker or food-service worker who had insurance and couldn’t afford to pay their bill. The hospitals do this to garnish their paychecks, and it’s a disgrace. It harms the precious public trust. That incredible heritage of taking care of anyone in need … been eroded by this horrible corporate practice of price gouging and predatory billing. And every healthcare professional in America should be offended by this disgusting practice.” On futile care in the ICU “If you look at the appropriateness of care, we’ve got two problems: over-treatment and under-treatment. But by far, over-treatment is dominating the problem right now. In the ICU, we have the problem of futile care, care that’s entirely senseless and disrespectful and provides no dignity. And it’s painful for anyone to watch. Any reasonable person would know no one would want to be treated that way. We see that, and sometimes we’re helpless with that because ultimately it’s the family’s decision.” On living in a nation of extremes “Why does everything in America have to be one extreme or the other? Why do you have to be all pro-universal, double masking after vaccination or no masking whatsoever; masks are BS. Why is it that we have such a hard time, being in this lonely place in the middle where you’re actually just intellectually following what you believe to be the best science and what’s reasonable?” READ: Full transcript with Marty Makary  Fixing Healthcare is in its fifth season, which focuses on the culture of medicine. For Dr. Robert Pearl, this topic is of vital importance. For years, he has been researching and reporting on physician culture—efforts that culminate May 18, 2021 with the publication of his book “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” * * * Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn. The post FHC #33: Marty Makary on eliminating waste in medical education appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Co-host Dr. Pearl spoke with several critical care physicians in a recent Forbes article. One of those doctors described waking up regularly before sunrise, covered in sweat. Another seasoned physician said he had four patients die in a single day from Covid-19—more patients than he’d ever lost in a month. A resident explained that he started his ICU rotation with six Covid-19 patients. All were dead by the end of the month. According to a national KFF/Washington Post poll, a majority of healthcare workers say the Covid-19 crisis is taking a toll on their mental health. Citing stress and burnout, 3 in 10 clinicians have considered leaving the profession. In this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth, Jeremy Corr and Dr. Robert Pearl discuss the rising professional dissatisfaction of doctors and their risk of PTSD once the pandemic is over. Here are the questions that were asked and answered [and when] on this week’s show: [00:58] Each show begins with the most recent and relevant facts concerning the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on American life. What’s happening and what does it mean? [06:41] Does exercise prevent severe Covid-19 symptoms? [09:33] What’s up with mandatory vaccines on college campuses? [11:04] Was the J&J pause good or bad for public trust? [13:17] How has Covid-19 impacted healthcare workers? [15:11] How widespread is vaccine hesitancy in the United States? [19:00] Listener question: “You guys talked about long-Covid a couple episodes ago. Is there an update on this? Have scientists learned anything new on that front?” [20:20] Any good news this week? [22:41] Texas vs. California: how do their infection, death and vaccine stats compare? [26:22] How comfortable should we be with: air travel, dining in restaurants and attending sporting events? [28:21] Will doctors and hospitals begin to charge out-of-pocket fees for Covid-19 related care? [29:57] How to explain high number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths in a state like Michigan, which was stricter than most? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. If you have coronavirus questions for the hosts, please visit the contact page or send us a mehttps://fixinghealthcarepodcast.com/contact-us/ssage on Twitter or LinkedIn. *To maintain the credibility of this program, Coronavirus: The Truth refuses to accept sponsorship, outside funding sources or guests with any financial or personal conflicts of interest. The post CTT #37: Will pandemic stress cause clinicians to quit medicine? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

The FDA has recommended a temporary pause of the J&J vaccine until scientists can sort out what’s causing a rare (and, in one case, fatal) blood clot in a six women who received the vaccine. Recently, a CDC advisory panel opted to delay its vote on the safety of the J&J vaccine, needing more data and information before rendering its verdict. In this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth, Jeremy Corr and Dr. Robert Pearl look deeper at the scientific details, facts, and next steps concerning the J&J vaccine. Here are the questions that were asked and answered [and when] on this week’s show: [00:56] Each show begins with the most recent and relevant facts concerning the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on American life. What’s happening and what does it mean? [04:44] Dozens of listeners have asked about the J&J vaccine. What’s happening with Johnson & Johnson and the rare blood-clot in question? [16:36] What’s the difference between an anti-vaxxer and someone who’s vaccine-hesitant? [17:55] Is one vaccine safer and more effective than the others? [20:44] Is it likely the the mRNA research that led to Pfizer and Moderna vaccines lead to future vaccines against other viruses, such as malaria? [24:41] What do we know about the psychological impact of getting Covid-19? [26:25] What do scientists know about the transmissibility and lethality of the coronavirus variant B.1.1.7 from the United Kingdom.? [28:46] What’s good this week? [32:27] Pfizer’s CEO predicts we’ll need booster shots in the future. Why did he say that and how often would we need them? [34:50] Has the bruhaha over the J&J vaccine affected people’s overall perception of vaccine safety? [37:49] How can we close the perception gap between vaccine hesitant Americans and those who desire to see our country achieve herd immunity? [42:28] What should parents know about Covid-19 this week? [45:36] We saw public health officials tout “wear a mask, stay at home, and get the vaccine” early and often. Why haven’t they championed a similar approach for dealing with our nation’s obesity problem? [52:48] In Europe, cases are spiking and hospitals are filling up. What’s going on? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. If you have coronavirus questions for the hosts, please visit the contact page or send us a message on Twitter or LinkedIn. *To ensure the credibility of this program, Coronavirus: The Truth refuses to accept sponsorship, outside funding sources or guests with any financial or personal conflicts of interest. The post CTT #36: Is the J&J vaccine scare an overreaction or scientifically valid? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Alison Hadden is a lifelong athlete, an adventurer and was, by age 38, a marketing executive at three different billion-dollar tech companies. But in 2018, Alison says “life burst through the door.” She was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. Three years later, she is grappling with a terminal diagnosis. Neither Alison nor her doctors are certain how much time she has left. And yet, Alison often finds herself waiting and waiting … and waiting on the people who provide her medical care. After she first felt a lump in her breast, she waited more than a month for her diagnosis. After scheduling a recent call with her oncologist to go over lab results, she waited by her phone for over three hours. Alison got so sick of waiting weeks for her appointments that she started bribing the scheduling nurses with donuts. In this episode, learn about the culture of medicine from a patient with no time to waste.   Interview Highlights from Alison Hadden   On the painstaking process of getting diagnosed “I was 38 years old at the time, was super fit, athlete my whole life, had, I think, gone out for a eight or 10 mile trail run. And when I came back that day, I just had recognized when I was getting in the shower that there was a lump in my breast and I got on it pretty quickly, assuming it was nothing, but wanting to make sure I did everything I could …  It took probably a week for me to get an appointment and that was me working hard to try and get the earliest appointment that I could. I had another week or two weeks until I was able to get my mammogram scheduled, and then another week to get the biopsy scheduled. And I was diagnosed, probably about a month after initially finding that lump in September of 2018, I was diagnosed with stage three.” On ‘project-managing’ her own cancer treatment  “I was super overwhelmed. The news of this came in as a complete shock. Friends said that I was like the healthiest person they know, didn’t drink, smoke, do drugs, appeared very fit. So, this was just a huge shock to myself and my family. And the overwhelming sort of tidal wave of appointments and scans, and the second opinions, everything that happened in that first six weeks, was just so much. And I remember thinking, gosh, I am so on top of things, I have a bias towards action when I’m anxious. I can’t imagine someone that was older if they had to navigate my situation, if someone was not tech savvy, or even kind of like fast on their feet, and if someone was living alone and having to navigate all of it by themselves … I was a marketing executive in the tech industry. I was used to taking charge and leading. And I was project-managing my own cancer treatment.” On Covid-19 vaccine vs. cancer-care experience “If I can schedule a COVID vaccine through a CVS, why can’t I use a mobile app to book my labs next week before chemo and be able to change it up until a certain point? Why can’t I do that? Why do I still need a human scheduler … She looks at the schedule and then we go through it together. Why?” On patient anxieties that doctors don’t seem to understand “I love my oncologist. I think he’s fantastic. But even he, a couple of days ago, had told me, ‘You’re going to get the brain scan on Wednesday. You’re going to get the chest scan on Thursday. And then Friday morning, I’ll call you with the results.’ And it’s Friday morning and it’s 8:00, I set my alarm. It’s 9:00, it’s 10:00. At 10:00, I was bursting so I left his office a message and basically just said, ‘Hi, I’m still here waiting nervously, anxiously waiting.’ And I got a call around noon, or maybe 12:30, and he apologized right away and just said, ‘Sorry. I had a lot of things going on this morning.’” On living with the reality of death “I have no choice but to confront my mortality on a daily basis, but also find a way to not live in such fear of the unknown and the uncertainty around what’s it going to look like? When is it going to happen? What’s the deterioration going to be? The more I worry about the future, the more I’m taking away from the present. And all I’m trying to do is live for now and maximize my moments in a 24-hour period, which is everything that [my podcast] No Time to Waste is about. It’s about confronting that mortality, crafting a life without regrets, and maximizing moments based on the things I talk about, which is gratitude, human connection, and joy.” READ: Full transcript of our latest discussion with Alison Hadden Fixing Healthcare is in its fifth season, which focuses on the culture of medicine. For Dr. Robert Pearl, this topic is of vital importance to the health and well-being of patients. For years, he has been researching and reporting on physician culture—efforts that will culminate in the publication of his 2021 book, “Uncaring: How the Culture of Medicine Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” * * * Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn. The post FHC #32: A patient with terminal cancer opens up about her doctors appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

As vaccines get rolled out to younger and younger Americans, parents have questions and are raising serious concerns. Polls show just half of U.S. parents plan to get their children vaccinated for COVID-19 as soon as they can, according to the latest Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index. But what does the science say about vaccinating children? The efficacy data look promising. Pfizer recently announced its vaccine is 100% effective in protecting against Covid-19 infection in children ages 12-15. The company has already begun trials in children six months to 11 years old, which raises the question: How young is too young to be vaccinated? In this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth, Jeremy Corr and Dr. Pearl discuss that coronavirus topic and many others. Here are the questions that were asked and answered [and when] on this week’s show: [00:55] Each show begins with the most recent and relevant facts concerning the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on American life. What’s happening and what does it mean? [04:27] What has gone right with the Covid-19 vaccine and what problems remain? (see Dr. Pearl’s latest Forbes article for more on this) [12:22] Is the vaccine rollout a national case study in haves vs. have nots? [16:46] How soon after being vaccinated do people have immunity? How safe is it to travel? [20:30] With no more than 250 million people needing the vaccine to reach herd immunity, why has the U.S. purchase 600 million vaccine doses? [26:03] What’s up with AstraZeneca? [28:23] What’s good this week? [31:17] What do polls say about the willingness of Americans to be vaccinated? [33:11] Who’s getting sick from Covid-19 now that most elderly people are vaccinated? [35:35] Why aren’t the media covering the extremely high risk obesity poses to Covid-19 patients and our nation as whole? [43:16] What’s it going to take to convince vaccine hesitant Americans that the shots are safe and effective and far better than getting Covid-19? [48:06] Why are the Chinese and Russians outpacing the U.S. in terms of helping vaccinate citizens around the world? Is America at risk of losing its global reputation and influence? [50:11] Listener question: “For so long there appeared to be a vaccine shortage. Why are states now offering vaccines to practically everyone?” [52:26] Should kids get vaccinated? How young is too young? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. If you have coronavirus questions for the hosts, please visit the contact page or send us a message on Twitter or LinkedIn. *To ensure the credibility of this program, Coronavirus: The Truth refuses to accept sponsorship, outside funding sources or guests with any financial or personal conflicts of interest. The post CTT #35: How young is too young to be vaccinated? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

On Forbes, Dr. Robert Pearl wrote about his recent trip from San Diego to New York, which he referred to as the “Covid-19 Flight From Hell.” The article has been read by hundreds of thousands of people, most of whom were horrified by Pearl’s experience with the infected passenger and curious about what (if anything) the airline industry had to say for itself. In this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth, Jeremy Corr and Dr. Pearl discuss flying in the waning months of the Covid-19 era and whether Americans prefer the feeling of safety over actually being safe. Here are the questions asked and answered on this week’s show: Each week, the show begins with the most recent and relevant facts of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on American life. What’s happening and what does it mean? Can vaccinated grandparents visit their unvaccinated grandkids? What’s the new guidance? When it comes to mental health, what’s new? Listener question: “I’m hearing that the AstraZeneca vaccine causes blood clots. Is it dangerous? Should I avoid taking it if offered?” Listener question: “I’m planning to have back surgery this month, but I had a mild case of the coronavirus a couple of weeks ago. How long do I need to wait?” Why did the CDC change the “social distance” expectation for students from six feet to three? Any good news this week? Numerous listeners wrote in about Dr. Pearl’s widely read article, “The Covid-19 Flight From Hell.” What did the airlines have to say? Listener question: “I’m confused about how people can transmit the coronavirus after they are vaccinated and therefore not being able to come in direct contact with unvaccinated people. Can you elaborate?” What’s new when it comes to the “long haulers” discussed in episode 31? Why did Miami, Florida seem caught off guard by rowdy spring breakers? What would it take to bring Americans together amid a great political divide? What’s up with the Covid-19 death rates in Florida and California? 2020 was the deadliest year in U.S. history. Was that because of Covid-19? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. If you have coronavirus questions for the hosts, please visit the contact page or send us a message on Twitter or LinkedIn. *To ensure the credibility of this program, Coronavirus: The Truth refuses to accept sponsorship, outside funding sources or guests with any financial or personal conflicts of interest. The post CTT #34: What happened after Dr. Pearl’s ‘Covid-19 flight from hell’? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Dr. Jen Gunter is known by many titles. She’s been called Twitter’s resident gynecologist, the Internet’s OB-GYN, and medicine’s fiercest advocate for women’s health. In her writing for The New York Times (and in her bestselling book The Vagina Bible), Gunter has gone after some of the nation’s most powerful players. “I’ve taken on politicians, I’ve taken on the wellness industrial complex, and most recently, Vagisil, and they’re awful campaign to make teens embarrassed about their normal body smells and function,” she told Fixing Healthcare hosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. In 2015, Gunter’s blistering critiques of Goop, the wellness empire headed by Gwyneth Paltrow, became an internet sensation, sparking a national debate about the pseudoscience that surrounds health and wellness products. In this episode of Fixing Healthcare, Dr. Gunter takes on the culture of medicine, looking at the role sexism plays in the careers of doctors, the health of patients and the stories we tell about women’s bodies. Jen Gunter’s Interview Highlights On the dangers of Goop and the ‘wellness-industrial complex’ “A site like Goop is particularly dangerous, because it mixes good quality information, and they have some good information, with absolute harmful trash. So for example, they sell a coffee enema kit, they promote drinking raw milk, they have people who write content for them who are anti-vaxxers. And so, we know that it just takes one exposure to a medical conspiracy theory for people to start thinking that maybe that’s something they should worry about. Conspiracy theories are very sticky that way. When I’m battling a site like that, it’s because either their products are super harmful.” On Gunter’s own near-death delivery “After I delivered, I had sepsis. And I was on two different antibiotics afterwards I was deteriorating and nobody was listening to me. My oxygen levels were dropping, my pH level wasn’t changing. Nobody was listening to me, and I spent a day and a half dying in my hospital bed. It wasn’t until I started screaming and got hysterical and yelled at the attending that I got the care I needed. Now, imagine if I wasn’t a physician, imagine if I was being victimized by racism. I would have died.” On the word vagina “When it came time to promote the book (The Vagina Bible), my publisher Kensington wanted to do promoted ads on Twitter and on Facebook. And they were turned down when it had the word ‘vagina’ in it … And my understanding too, is for a lot of the morning shows, saying the word vagina and vulva is a challenge, because I guess they don’t want kids who are eating breakfast with their families to hear the word. I mean, that’s problematic. There’s nothing wrong with saying the words vagina and vulva.” On how doctors treat women “I really do feel that women are not listened to in the way that men are, or they have a harder time navigating the system because of that. It just seems that many times, they’re told their pain isn’t that serious. Or they’re told it’s not that bad, or they’re told they’re bleeding isn’t that heavy … I believe a lot of it is just part of the general ways that society dismisses concerns related to the reproductive tract.” On how doctors treat Black women “Serious cancer concerns aside, the rate of having ovaries removed is much higher for Black women than it is for white women or Hispanic women. And that can really only be explained with racism, with either people having less access to quality care, people having their concerns not heard, people thinking that you don’t deserve quality care.” On sexism in medical training   “I trained in the 80s and the early 90s, and you had to be just like the guys and you had to be as tough. And certainly, where I trained there was very little room for someone in a surgical specialty to not act like … a stereotypical version of a male surgeon. You just had to be tough, you had to suck it up. And I think that having only one type of person in a field is terrible … I was in medicine 20 years before there was a woman who was the chair of my department, so I think that says something.” READ: Full transcript of our discussion with Jen Gunter Fixing Healthcare is in its fifth season, which focuses on the culture of medicine. For Dr. Robert Pearl, this topic is of vital importance to the health and well-being of patients. For years, he has been researching and reporting on physician culture—efforts that will culminate in the publication of his 2021 book, “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” * * * Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn. The post Episode 31: Dr. Jen Gunter vs. sexism, pseudoscience & the wellness-industrial complex appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Moderna, Pfizer and now Johnson & Johnson have emerged as surprising heroes of the Covid-19 pandemic—pulling our nation out of this pandemic one vaccine shot at a time. This week, however, co-host Jeremy Corr raised a thought-provoking question: Why aren’t generic drug makers getting involved to help speed up vaccine production and end this pandemic faster? Do name-brand drug companies have any obligation to hand over their patents to generic drug manufacturers? Would it make a difference if they did? In this episode of Coronavirus: The Truth, Jeremy and Dr. Robert Pearl discuss the ethical and legal implications of drug development during a national crisis. Here’s everything that was discussed [and when] on this episode: [00:55] Each week, the show begins with the most recent and relevant facts of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on American life. What’s happening and what does it mean? [05:20] Listener question: “We seem to be learning more about the Covid-19 vaccines each week. Is anything still uncertain?” [12:40] Who’s still hesitant to take the vaccine and why? [15:15] Nursing homes were responsible for approximately 40% of deaths in the early phases of the pandemic. What about now? [16:50] Listener question: “How does the mutation rate of this virus compares to others we’ve seen in the past?” [20:00] Pfizer has requested FDA approval to meet less stringent storage and transportation requirements. What happened with that? [21:03] Why aren’t drug companies required to hand over their patents to generic drug manufacturers in order to speed up production and end the pandemic? [23:52] Any especially good news this week? [25:57] Mental health remains a major worry for educators and parents. What are we learning? [27:54] Any new insights on the origin of the virus one year later? [30:50] Some states like Texas are talking about eliminating any Covid-related restrictions whereas officials like Dr. Fauci describe these as foolish and dangerous actions. Discuss … [36:00] Obesity is known as a major contributor to complications and deaths from Covid-19. Why is America’s weight problem only treated as a wake-up call? This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. If you have coronavirus questions for the hosts, please visit the contact page or send us a message on Twitter or LinkedIn. *To ensure the credibility of this program, Coronavirus: The Truth refuses to accept sponsorship, outside funding sources or guests with any financial or personal conflicts of interest. The post CTT #33: Why aren’t we producing generic vaccines? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.