Drugs and vaccines to fight the coronavirus are already in clinical trials. It is important to understand the difference between each step in this process as efforts to fight COVID-19 continue.
A coronavirus vaccine is coming, but when?
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Vaccine development is usually a long process. The coronavirus pandemic is forcing researchers to innovate and test potential vaccines faster than ever before.
Testing in cells is an important and exciting first step.
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Nevan Krogan, University of California, San Francisco
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, identified nine existing drugs that show promise to treat COVID-19. The proteins they target haven’t been tried before.
Employees work on the production line of chloroquine phosphate, resumed after a 15-year break, in a pharmaceutical company in Nantong city in east China’s Jiangsu province Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020.
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The president promoted the combination of hydroxychloroquine and an antibiotic for treating COVID-19. But a new study suggests it provides no benefits.
There are 20,000 FDA approved drugs. One of them might fight COVID-19, if we can find it.
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Nevan Krogan, University of California, San Francisco
Among the more than 20,000 drugs approved by the FDA, there may be some that can treat COVID-19. A team at the University of California, San Francisco, is identifying possible candidates.
Some supplement products contain substances that are harmful.
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Americans love their supplements, but some of the products are contaminated with heavy metals, bacteria and toxic fungi. The FDA has little control because of a law passed in 1994.
Research over the last decade has shown MDMA-assisted psychotherapy to be effective in treating PTSD from military combat, sexual assault and childhood abuse. Now researchers are trialing MDMA with couples and finding promising results.
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MDMA is better known as the party psychedelic Ecstasy or Molly. Used clinically, together with psychotherapy, it reduces symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and shows promise with couples.
Low blood pressure may cause problems for many older people.
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Kenneth McLeod, Binghamton University, State University of New York
Researchers are looking for ways to determine who’s most at risk for dementia and also ways to detect it early. A scientist who has studied low blood pressure makes a case for a link between the two.
Older people often take many supplements, including ones purported to help with brain health. A recent study says the supplements do not work.
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With fear of a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s a constant concern for many seniors, they turn to supplements. A recent study suggests they’d be better off keeping their money.
Use of e-cigarettes is on the rise by youth. A recent study suggests that cartoons used in advertising the products may be contributing to the increase.
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E-cigarettes are unsafe for children, but some e-cig companies are using cartoons, which have been shown to appeal to youth. Should restrictions be in place, as they are for traditional cigarettes?
Nearly all medical product recalls are voluntarily issued by firms, instead of mandated by the FDA.
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Every year, thousands of medical devices and drugs are recalled in the US. But the decision to recall a flawed product is often left up to the manufacturer.
After decades of work, a salmon product engineered to grow faster may be coming to the U.S.
Daniel Mennerich
With Gottlieb’s departure from the FDA imminent, what should we expect from the FDA? How is it likely to regulate the still controversial genetically engineered foods?
Cows at the University of California, Davis beef research facility. Photo credit:
Alison Van Eenennaam/ University of California, Davis
According to current regulations, animals that have been genetically edited, like pigs or cows, are considered drugs. What are the consequences of such rules on American livestock and agriculture?
One in 3 people with severe depression do not respond to treatment.
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A safety committee convened by the FDA has declared esketamine safe for severe depression. But isn’t this drug the same as ketamine, an illegal street drug? A medical anthropologist explains.
Go ahead Santa, take a cookie without guilt.
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Most Americans underestimate how many calories nutritionists recommend they consume each day, which means maybe you can probably have one more treat without feeling guilty.
“Don’t do it!” said FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb of eating raw cookie dough.
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Don’t eat raw cookie dough in a house, with a mouse, or here, there or anywhere, wrote the FDA commissioner last week. A public health scholar sees – and tastes – things differently.
Natural supplements may be popular, but they can have dangerous side effects when they include prescription drugs.
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Men who can’t take drugs for erectile dysfunction and overweight people who can’t lose weight sometimes turn to natural supplements, thinking they are safe. Many times, they are not.
Professor and Director of Quantitative Biosciences Institute & Senior Investigator at the Gladstone Institutes, University of California, San Francisco