Drug Story

A romp through ivermectin’s real antiparasitic uses and how it moved from river blindness treatments to viral internet fame. They trace hookworm’s history in the U.S. South and big public health campaigns. The story of ivermectin’s discovery, mass donation, and Nobel recognition gets unpacked. They also probe why repurposing drugs sparks hope and how misinformation and anecdotes spread dangerous claims.

Tim Harford, economist and storytelling journalist, narrates a tale about Lydia Pinkham, the 19th-century maker of a notorious “women’s tonic.” He explores sensational ads, marketing stunts, and why people trusted quack cures. The story traces how empathy, placebo effects, and distrust of doctors fueled sales and helped spur the move toward evidence-based regulation.

Dr. Eric Topol, cardiologist, researcher, and founder of Scripps Research Translational Institute, discusses pharmacogenomics, its early promise and why it stalled. He recounts raising alarms about Vioxx and examines post-market drug safety. They explore population sequencing, barriers to clinical genetic testing, longevity hype versus rigorous science, and the role of AI and multimodal data in prevention.

Dr. Andrew Kristol, UCSF professor who leads sleep research, joins to talk insomnia and its treatments. He discusses Ambien’s rise, surprising postmarket harms, and why modern life fuels sleeplessness. The conversation also covers how sleep is measured, limits of OTC and benzodiazepine options, and behavioral approaches like CBT-I.

Whitney Wright, who has lived with chronic pain for decades, shares what it’s like to navigate care and treatments. Dr. Antje Barveld, chief of pain medicine, brings clinical insight on pain mechanisms and management. They discuss how pain became its own medical focus, the rise of opioids and OxyContin, the promise and access questions around new nonopioid drugs, and barriers to comprehensive care.

John Green, bestselling author and YouTuber who mobilizes his online community for global health, shares his TB awakening and how meeting patients drove his advocacy. He spotlights bedaquiline, the fight over extended patents, legal wins in India, and how grassroots pressure pushed for wider access. Short, urgent stories about policy, patent tactics, and small actions that changed lives.

A look at how testosterone went from niche performance trick to mainstream medical treatment. Traces the 19th-century origins and the rise of synthetic hormones and anabolic use. Examines marketing, telehealth, and online communities that normalized treatment. Explores what counts as low testosterone and how prescribing patterns and clinics exploded.

Dr. Andrew John Saxon, a psychiatry professor emeritus who explains benzodiazepines and withdrawal, and Martha McPhee, a writer who shares a multiyear Xanax dependence. They discuss Xanax’s fast relief and addictive risk. They trace anxiety’s evolutionary role, how the drug works, withdrawal and tapering, and cultural and regulatory shifts around tranquilizers.

Dr. Fatima Cody-Stanford, an obesity medicine physician-scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, offers clinical perspective on obesity and GLP-1 therapies. She discusses how cheap, engineered food and industry tactics helped fuel the obesity rise. She explains how semaglutide class drugs change appetite biology and how new treatments shift stigma and economics around body weight.

Dr. Aaron Carroll, a physician and health researcher, dives deep into the complex world of antidepressants, focusing on Zoloft. He reveals the challenges of pinpointing effective treatments amid the rising rates of depression. The conversation explores how SSRIs like Zoloft became mainstream, the oversimplification of the serotonin imbalance theory, and the reality of trial-and-error in finding the right medication. Carroll also discusses the importance of alternative treatments and the need for better research into effective options for patients.