Some Thoughts about the New Coronavirus Syndrome and its Transmission

First and upfront, let’s call this virus WARS*, which stands for Wuhan Associated Respiratory Syndrome.  President Xi Jingping called for a war against the new virus, and a war it is.  Therefore our acronym makes intuitive sense.  The naming of Continue reading Some Thoughts about the New Coronavirus Syndrome and its Transmission

Connections: From Mima/Herellea to Acinetobacter to the Double Helix to Lwoff to … CRAB

There once was a Scientific American section authored by science historian James Burke called ‘Connections”. In it James Burke, a true renaissance man, showed us how an ‘internet’ of serendipitous encounters, connections between persons, places and events led to advances Continue reading Connections: From Mima/Herellea to Acinetobacter to the Double Helix to Lwoff to … CRAB

The Weak Correlation Between Antibiotic Action and Mortality

At the recent FDA workshop on narrow-spectrum antibiotic development[1], the concept of using bacteriological response (BR) as an efficacy endpoint was flat-out rejected. The reason given is the purported lack of correlation between BR and survival/mortality which FDA considers the Continue reading The Weak Correlation Between Antibiotic Action and Mortality

FDA Needs Radical Reform

The nomination of Dr. Scott Gottlieb for FDA commissioner, a political appointee, has created the usual bipartisan furor. He is called unqualified, a renegade, not committed enough to FDA orthodoxy, an industry darling by some and a maverick by others. All Continue reading FDA Needs Radical Reform

The Letermovir Top-Line Results are Out – Or Are They?

Usually, as development progresses from preclinical to a more advanced clinical stage, reality begins to set in: problems become apparent that were not anticipated, efficacy may be less than expected or hoped for, and the safety margins may shrink to Continue reading The Letermovir Top-Line Results are Out – Or Are They?