The milk formula business is worth more than $45 billion globally, and projected to increase by over 50% by 2020 owing to rapid expansion in Asia. The report* by Changing Markets Foundation reviewed more than 400 infant milks for babies less than one year old made by Nestlé, Danone, Mead Johnson Nutrition, and Abbott. It …
In 2016, 36 states joined a lawsuit against Reckitt Benckiser Group that alleged that the company had profited from the opioid crisis and siphoned money from Medicaid. The drug company allegedly worked to preserve its monopolistic hold on profits drawn from its control of addiction treatment drug Suboxone. The 2016 lawsuit in Philadelphia has received …
Continue reading ‘Opioid antidotes and the huge profits they generate’ »
Congress is under pressure to reduce drug prices, but the obstacles are legion. Current federal regulations protect drug makers from competition and restrict the government’s ability to negotiate bulk prices for large purchases from manufacturers. The nation’s drug distribution system is complex, opaque, short on data, and little understood by consumers. And the huge money …
Continue reading ‘Prescription drugs in the US (a bit long, but you must read the conclusion)’ »
CRISPR, the cheap and easy technique for making precise changes to DNA, has researchers around the world racing to trial its use in treating a host of human diseases. But this race is not confined to the lab. Last month, Josiah Zayner, a biochemist who once worked for NASA, became the first person to edit …
Continue reading ‘Is do-it-yourself gene editing wise and ethical?’ »
People hate the idea of being forced to make healthier choices by the nanny state. The trick is not to tell them. Just ask Coca-Cola. In order to dodge the new tax on sugary drinks – much to the fury of libertarians – the soft drinks giant has recently been reformulating its products. It began …
