When developing countries band together, lifesaving drugs become cheaper and easier to buy − with trade-offs

Pharmaceutical companies have little incentive to sell drugs to countries that can’t afford them. But bargaining together can increase access to vital treatments worldwide.

Nahim Bin Zahur, Assistant Professor of Economics, Queen's University, Ontario • conversation
June 17, 2025 ~10 min

Colorado’s fentanyl criminalization bill won’t solve the opioid epidemic, say the people most affected

Incarcerating people who use drugs is associated with increased overdose deaths after release and high rate of recidivism.

Katherine LeMasters, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
June 13, 2025 ~9 min


Drug pollution in water is making salmon take more risks – new research

Pharmaceutical pollution can significantly affect wild animal behaviour, including speeding up salmon migration.

Michael Bertram, Assistant Professor in Ecology and Ecotoxicology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Guest Researcher, Stockholm University • conversation
April 10, 2025 ~7 min

Philly’s street fentanyl contains an industrial chemical called BTMPS that’s an ingredient in plastic

More than half of the street fentanyl samples collected in November 2024 contained BTMPS, and many contained more BTMPS than fentanyl.

Fernando Montero, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Psychiatry and Social Work, Columbia University • conversation
March 6, 2025 ~6 min

How opioid deaths tripled in Philly over a decade − and what may be behind a recent downturn

After nearly a decade of annual upticks in overdose deaths, the city saw a drop in 2023, the latest data available. Something may finally be working − but what?

Ben Cocchiaro, Assistant Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health, Drexel University • conversation
Feb. 11, 2025 ~9 min

Your environment affects how well your medications work − identifying exactly how could make medicine better

Your physical environment, social life and lifestyle have as much an influence on your biology − and hence, how you process drugs − as your genes.

Gary W. Miller, Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health • conversation
Feb. 3, 2025 ~9 min

Will AI revolutionize drug development? Researchers explain why it depends on how it’s used

Researchers have applied AI to every step of the drug development process. But this might not be enough to design safe and effective drugs.

Christian Macedonia, Adjunct Professor in Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan • conversation
Jan. 3, 2025 ~9 min

What are pharmacy benefit managers? A health economist explains how lack of competition drives up drug prices for everyone

As the middlemen between drug companies and insurers, PBMs are shoo-ins as the villains behind high drug prices. But they do play a useful role in the health marketplace.

James B. Rebitzer, Wexler Professor of Management, Economics and Public Policy, Boston University • conversation
Dec. 19, 2024 ~10 min


Drug prices improved under Biden-Harris and Trump − but not for everyone, and not enough

Both Trump and Harris seek to lower drug costs for patients. What headway have they made on realizing this goal?

C. Michael White, Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy Practice, University of Connecticut • conversation
Sept. 26, 2024 ~10 min

Philly residents with opioid addiction get medication from the ‘bupe bus’ − creating a path for treatment

After their initial visit, 69% of patients returned to the van at least four times for follow-ups.

Margaret Lowenstein, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania • conversation
Sept. 12, 2024 ~6 min

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