#6: The Tamiflu Trials
Summary: Medical experts are rushing to see which drugs might help treat COVID-19. There are dozens of candidates: Remdesivir, Hydroxycloroquin, Actemra, Kevzara, Favipiravir, the list goes on. They better pick the right one; because billions of dollars of public money is at stake, not to mention 100s of thousands — if not millions — of lives. <br> We don’t know what will happen with COVID-19 drug research. But the story of past pandemics might give us a clue. To prepare for Swine Flu and Bird Flu, governments spent billions stockpiling a drug called Tamiflu. You’d think governments used the best evidence-based advice, but the story of Tamiflu raises questions about how money shaped the process. <br> On this episode, we open up the black box of pharmaceutical and public health expertise. We tell the story of a drug, from its days as middling flu treatment through its meteoric rise to international blockbuster. How do experts decide what makes a good drug, and how do pharmaceutical companies make billions from pandemic panic?<br> ———-MORE———-<br> This episode has loads more information, citations, and resources. You can also find related articles on our website, <a href="https://www.citedpodcast.com/">citedpodcast.com</a>. Including articles by our research assistant, <a href="https://twitter.com/franklynnb?lang=en">Franklynn Bartol</a>, on topics like: industry funding of <a href="https://www.citedpodcast.com/beyond-the-science-big-pharmas-influence-on-healthcare-providers-and-patients/">patient advocacy groups</a>, the meaning (and limitations) of ‘<a href="https://www.citedpodcast.com/debating-the-evidence/">evidence-based medicine</a>,’ and the broader research literature on industry funding and <a href="https://www.citedpodcast.com/why-is-industry-funding-an-issue/">why it’s a problem</a>. <br> ———-CORRECTION———-<br> An earlier version of this podcast said that drug companies now must publish all their trial data before a drug goes to market. In fact, the FDA requires that the companies must register their trial data on a government website, ClinicalTrials.gov. This excludes non-randomized observational trials and a few other earlier, prospective studies. The script was changed to reflect that correction.<br> ———-FOLLOW CITED———-<br> To keep up with Cited, follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/citedpodcast">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/citedpodcast/">Facebook</a>. Plus, send us your feedback to info@citedmedia.ca–we might just read it on the show. We’re also doing a mug giveaway this episode. If you’d like one (for free), please do us a favour: tell one of your friends about Cited. Email or text them and send me a screengrab. We’ll randomly pick three of the people who email me, and you’ll get a free Cited mug.<br> ———-CREDITS———-<br> This episode was produced by <a href="https://twitter.com/audreyqq?lang=en">Audrey Quinn</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/gordonkatic?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Gordon Katic</a>. Editing from <a href="https://twitter.com/aceyrowe?lang=en">Acey Rowe</a> and Gordon Katic. <a href="https://twitter.com/franklynnb">Franklynn Bartol</a> was our research assistant, with fact checking from Aurora Tejeida and <a href="https://twitter.com/pollyleger">Polly Leger</a>. Dr. <a href="https://twitter.com/joel_lexchin?lang=en">Joel Lexchin</a> and Professor <a href="https://twitter.com/ghostmanagedmed?lang=en">Sergio Sismondo</a> provided research guidance.<br> Our theme song and original music is by our composer, <a href="http://mikebarber.ca/">Mike Barber</a>. <a href="https://www.dakotakoop.com/">Dakota Koop</a> is our graphic designer. Our production manager is David Tobiasz, and executive producers are <a href="https://twitter."></a>
