25.3 Deadly Alzheimer's Drugs: Aducanumab's sketchy Accelerated Approval, with Michael Shuman, PharmD

Join myself and Dr. Michael Shuman, PharmD, BPCC, as we discuss the latest overhyped and under-delivering class of medications, the new Alzheimer's drugs.  These drugs can cause brain swelling and bleeding in a substantial proportion of patients and even death in some.  Not only are they NOT SAFE, but they're also NO MORE EFFECTIVE than currently existing treatments.  It's another clear ploy to sell hope and promise to the American public in an effort to continue to line the pockets of industry executives and recoup the money spent on the research and development of these drugs... Put another way... THEY'RE JUST TOO BIG TO FAIL.  Sadly, it has been revealed in the last several years that several keystone research studies/papers in the field of neurodegenerative disease (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's being the most recognizable) research have been outright fraudulent.  While it seems conspiratorial, join us as we discuss the facts and the neurodegenerative research experts' appraisals of some of the "evidence' that laid the groundwork for the release of this new class of medications that work by removing beta-amyloid from the brain (but also may remove some of your brain, or the walls of your blood vessels, with that beta-amyloid).  The manipulated research goes all the way back to the 1990s... I fear we have been guided down a path by narcissistic researchers standing to directly profit from their feigned research.  I wish it was only me saying these things, that you could discount the fraudulent research discussed in this series and actually have the promise of a novel class of medications... but it's not just Ethan Short, MD, from University of Louisville saying this.  There are plenty of Ivy League-trained and well-respected neurologists, psychiatrists, and neurodegnerative disease researchers who have come to the same conclusions, that images from the original research were 'doctored,' and this new class of drugs (Aducanumab, Lecanemab, and Donanemab) are NOT SAFE and NOT EFFECTIVE.  The FDA has allowed pharmaceutical companies to increasingly seek 'accelerated approval,' typically reserved for rare diseases that progress quickly to fatality, in which case it makes sense to take an experimental drug.  But in this case of a disease like Alzheimer's, that typically carries a life expectancy of close to a decade with it, is going to lead to earlier death and disability.  We'll undoubtedly look back on these drugs in 10-15 years and wonder how we could have been duped again by the fraudulent and unregulated healthcare system we are forced to interact with.  I have a lot of passion with the things I talk about on this podcast, but there are very few examples as blatant as this class of drugs.  I hope you enjoy..... and stay safe! If you're passionate about what we do here at Renegade Psych, we're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support our work, you can! Or not... I'll continue putting out content as long as my other jobs pay the bills.  Other things you can do: liking, commenting, and sharing our posts also go a long way! https://patreon.com/RenegadePsych. Thanks for listening to the audio podcast... You should check out our posted video podcast on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaZ1bds1MGMM4tSbY7ISqug) as there are graphics overlaying the video to make it all more interactive and educational.  For more social media content, check us out on all social media platforms @RenegadePsych. If you have any comments, questions or challenges to the information we've presented here, if you'd like to be a guest to the show, or if you have general comments, questions, or suggestions, email us at [email protected] and follow the link https://renegade-psych.podcastpage.io/  to our website for source material, transcripts, and additional links for my guests. If you feel passionate about our message and what we're trying to do, and you'd like to donate, you can also follow the link in the show notes to our website. Disclaimer, this podcast is for informational purposes only. The information provided in this podcast and related materials are meant only to educate.  This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. While I am a medical doctor and many of my guests have extensive medical training and experience, nothing stated in this podcast nor materials related to this podcast, including recommended websites, texts, graphics, images, or any other materials should be treated as a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice, diagnosis or treatment. All listeners should consult with a medical professional, licensed mental health provider or other healthcare provider if seeking medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.