The hottest Clinical Trials Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Health & Wellness Topics

Fosun’s Green Valley Deal: The Risk Isn’t Just Whether GV-971 Works

Pekingnology • 33 implied HN points • 29 Dec 25
💼 Business Clinical Trials
  1. The market selloff reflects not just scientific doubt about GV-971 but major reputational and regulatory risk tied to Green Valley’s history.
  2. Green Valley has a long record of marketing and compliance scandals — including unlawful advertising, forged promotional materials, bribery, revoked approvals — and GV-971’s broader efficacy claims rest on limited and contested evidence.
  3. Key background on Green Valley’s past was largely missing from Fosun’s disclosure and much international coverage, which matters because the deal and the drug’s future still depend on regulatory approval and confirmatory clinical data.

VERY URGENT: Pfizer's mRNA flu shot failed its pivotal clinical trial in adults 65 and older

Unreported Truths • 56 implied HN points • 26 Nov 25
🏥 Health Politics Clinical Trials
  1. Pfizer's mRNA flu shot did not work well for older adults, causing more flu infections and side effects compared to the standard flu shot.
  2. In addition to more flu cases, older people who received the mRNA shot faced serious health issues like kidney problems and respiratory failure.
  3. Despite the disappointing results and higher side effects, Pfizer has not been transparent about the trial findings and seems to be downplaying the issues.

"Follow the Science" recap

Who is Robert Malone • 15 implied HN points • 19 Jan 26
🏥 Health Politics Clinical Trials
  1. The vaccines' headline "95% effective" referred to relative risk reduction while the absolute risk reduction was only about 0.7–1.1%, and the smaller absolute benefit was not widely reported, which the text says misled people and violated informed consent.
  2. The post claims some mRNA dosing showed negative efficacy—suggesting more doses could increase the chance of getting COVID—and also asserts myocarditis after vaccination is not rare or mild and is more likely from vaccination than from infection.
  3. The piece accuses governments and pharmaceutical companies of propaganda and silence, and raises mechanistic concerns like viral/product shedding, plasmid DNA transfer, exosome effects, and a shift toward anti‑spike IgG4 antibodies after repeated mRNA shots.

The Placebo Paradox: Why Placebos Are Ineffective In Psychedelic Research

Tripsitter • 79 implied HN points • 20 Mar 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Clinical Trials
  1. Researchers struggle with placebo controls in psychedelic trials due to the unmistakable subjective experiences and physiological effects of psychedelics, making blinding participants difficult.
  2. The power of expectations and beliefs influence the effectiveness of psychedelics, leading to challenges in maintaining placebo controls and interpreting trial results.
  3. Alternative approaches in psychedelic research involve creating placebo psychedelic experiences or comparing psychedelics directly to established treatments, offering potential solutions to traditional placebo limitations.
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Are the Changes to the Vax Schedule Finished?

Who is Robert Malone • 9 implied HN points • 10 Jan 26
🏥 Health Politics Clinical Trials
  1. HHS revised the childhood and adolescent vaccine schedule on January 5, 2026, cutting routine recommendations from about 17–18 to 11 vaccines and moving others (like flu, COVID‑19, hepatitis, rotavirus, RSV) to high‑risk or shared clinical decision‑making, while keeping all vaccines available and covered by insurance.
  2. The administration ordered more rigorous research—double‑blind, placebo‑controlled trials when ethical and expanded long‑term observational studies—and said advisory committees and agencies will continuously reassess recommendations, so more schedule changes are likely as data emerge.
  3. The move is highly controversial: some medical groups warn it could risk disease resurgence and call placebo trials unethical when effective vaccines exist, while supporters praise greater scientific rigor and parental choice; there are also concerns that CDC management of many trials could introduce bias or face capacity limits.

How We Could Save Billions by Finding Which Medical Treatments Don't Work

The Good Science Project • 66 implied HN points • 15 Aug 25
🏥 Health Politics Clinical Trials
  1. Many common medical treatments are not supported by solid evidence, with around 90% lacking strong trials to prove their effectiveness.
  2. A lot of spending on treatments comes from practices that might actually be harmful or useless, putting patients at risk.
  3. Creating a system to test these questionable treatments could save billions of dollars and improve patient health significantly.

Don't Drink The Electric Kool-Aid: The Acid Ban Explained 🍹🌈

Tripsitter • 159 implied HN points • 31 Aug 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Clinical Trials
  1. LSD was initially used for clinical purposes but got labeled as a Schedule I drug due to potential abuse, hindering its further research and development for treating mental health disorders.
  2. During the counterculture movement in the 1960s, LSD gained popularity for expanding consciousness and creativity, leading to conflicts with traditional values and eventually being banned.
  3. The CIA's Project MK-Ultra involved unethical human experimentation with LSD for mind control, sparking profound consequences and contributing to the stigma and legal issues surrounding LSD today.

Measuring Drug Target Success

Rough Diamonds • 9 implied HN points • 16 Dec 25
🔬 Science Clinical Trials
  1. Most modern drugs are built around a specific molecular target, and researchers pick targets using genetic, animal, or in‑vitro evidence that suggests the target is causally involved in disease.
  2. Targets backed by human genetic evidence more than double a drug's chance of clinical success, while pursuing mechanisms similar to past failures increases the odds of failing.
  3. Preclinical signals can improve early selection but don't replace human trials, so improving the ROI of drug development means making trials cheaper and/or picking better candidates early, rather than relying only on rational design.

Happy Thanksgiving! (And I hope you will take advantage of this holiday discount and support UT!)

Unreported Truths • 14 implied HN points • 27 Nov 25
🏥 Health Politics Clinical Trials
  1. Thanksgiving is a time to appreciate what we have, like health and the freedoms we enjoy. It's nice to celebrate these moments with family and friends.
  2. There’s concern about how some companies, like Pfizer, handle important health information. It seems some critical results from their studies are not getting the attention they deserve.
  3. Supporting independent voices can help spread information that might not be covered by mainstream media. Engaging with different perspectives helps keep conversations interesting, even during family gatherings.

What should the control arm be in a vaccine trial? Is it a placebo if it contains aluminum?

Vinay Prasad's Observations and Thoughts • 106 implied HN points • 19 Feb 25
🏥 Health Politics Clinical Trials
  1. In vaccine trials, using a control arm that contains something like aluminum may not be truly a placebo, which can make it hard to determine side effects.
  2. If the control group feels side effects from a placebo, like aluminum, they may think they received the vaccine and change their behavior, affecting the trial results.
  3. Sometimes, trials need more than one control group to get a clearer picture of both safety and effectiveness, like comparing a true placebo to a placebo that causes some discomfort.

Anti-depressants: The trials last 8 weeks; People take them for 8+ years

Vinay Prasad's Observations and Thoughts • 85 implied HN points • 04 Mar 25
🏥 Health Politics Clinical Trials
  1. People often take anti-depressants for many years, even decades, but they were only studied for about 8 weeks in trials.
  2. There isn't clear evidence that taking these medications long-term is better than not starting them at all, which raises concerns about their effectiveness.
  3. We need longer and better studies to truly understand the benefits and downsides of anti-depressants, including how they impact things like sexual health.

Vaccines are like drugs: Some are safe, some are effective, and some have benefits > harms, but not all

Vinay Prasad's Observations and Thoughts • 135 implied HN points • 31 Oct 24
🏥 Health Politics Clinical Trials
  1. Vaccines, like drugs, can vary in safety and effectiveness. Some work well for certain people but not for others.
  2. It's important to measure how well vaccines work, not just for virus-related issues but for overall health.
  3. We need better monitoring and data sharing after vaccines are given, along with the ability to hold manufacturers accountable if something goes wrong.

The first non-opioid painkiller

The Works in Progress Newsletter • 34 implied HN points • 26 Jun 25
🏥 Health & Wellness Clinical Trials
  1. Journavx is the first non-opioid pain reliever approved by the FDA, aiming to reduce reliance on addictive opioids for pain management. It works by blocking specific sodium channels in pain-sensing neurons instead of acting on the brain, which helps avoid side effects linked to opioids.
  2. The development of Journavx took decades due to the complex nature of pain and the challenges in finding effective, non-addictive alternatives. Researchers faced multiple setbacks and failures before finally succeeding with this novel painkiller.
  3. Currently, Journavx is mainly effective for treating acute pain and isn't yet approved for chronic pain conditions. It offers a new option for patients needing pain relief, especially in situations where traditional medications aren't sufficient.

URGENT: A young child died of cardiac arrest after being jabbed during Moderna's key Covid vaccine trial

Unreported Truths • 84 implied HN points • 03 Jan 25
🏥 Health Politics Clinical Trials
  1. A young child died from cardiac arrest after receiving a Moderna Covid vaccine during a trial. This incident hasn't been publicly reported in official channels.
  2. Moderna did not mention the child's death in their published results, raising concerns about transparency in their clinical trial process.
  3. The safety results from the trial show that children given the Moderna vaccine had more serious side effects compared to those who received a placebo.

Vial: Reimagining Clinical Trials

The Century of Biology • 308 implied HN points • 30 Jul 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Clinical Trials
  1. Vial is working to reduce the cost of clinical trials by innovating new technology.
  2. Vial's Act I focuses on structuring, digitizing, and automating the clinical trial process to drive efficiency.
  3. Vial's Act II, Battery Bio, aims to revolutionize drug discovery by integrating software and advanced technologies in a vertically integrated approach.

The One Amino Acid That Could Cure COVID

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 219 implied HN points • 19 Feb 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Clinical Trials
  1. An Italian clinical trial published in a respected medical journal provided evidence about the impact of arginine on COVID.
  2. The study's findings were described as incredible, suggesting a potential role for arginine in fighting COVID.
  3. This information was shared by a PhD in Nutritional Sciences and is meant for educational purposes, not medical advice.

A novel analysis of the Pfizer trial:vaccine effectiveness was nowhere near 95%

Steve Kirsch's newsletter • 5 implied HN points • 24 Nov 25
🏥 Health Politics Clinical Trials
  1. The Pfizer vaccine may not prevent infections but only reduce symptoms in those already infected. This means vaccinated people could still get sick without showing symptoms.
  2. The claim that the vaccine was 95% effective against infection is based on flawed assumptions. It assumes that infections were detected equally and that vaccines prevent infections, which may not be true.
  3. Real-world data shows many fully vaccinated people experienced breakthrough infections, suggesting the vaccine's impact on stopping infection was likely very small or none.

Sec. Kennedy's Statement on the ACIP and Vaccine Trials

Who is Robert Malone • 26 implied HN points • 11 Jun 25
🏥 Health Politics Clinical Trials
  1. Children in some states need to get a lot of vaccines to attend school, but many of these vaccines haven't been tested properly for safety. This can be seen as a serious concern.
  2. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has members who will now be more aligned with evidence-based decisions and will focus on the safety of vaccines for children.
  3. There are claims that many vaccines were studied in controlled trials, but many of those studies may not have used true placebos that would help show if the vaccines are safe or effective. This raises questions about the safety of the vaccines on the childhood schedule.

Pfizer's Delayed Myocarditis Study

Who is Robert Malone • 20 implied HN points • 02 Jul 25
🏥 Health Politics Clinical Trials
  1. Pfizer's study on myocarditis in kids is facing challenges with enrollment, making it hard to gather enough participants. This means the study could take longer to finish than expected.
  2. The lengthy five-year follow-up in the study is needed to thoroughly check for any long-term health effects. This is important for understanding the consequences of myocarditis better.
  3. There's no solid evidence that Pfizer is hiding data or being unethical; the delays seem to be due to the difficulty of conducting a rigorous study.

Did FDA know a child had died in Moderna's Covid jab clinical trial? If so, what did the agency do about it?

Unreported Truths • 49 implied HN points • 06 Jan 25
🏥 Health Politics Clinical Trials
  1. A child died during Moderna's Covid vaccine trial, and there's confusion about whether the FDA was informed about this death.
  2. The FDA's responses seem deliberately vague, avoiding a clear acknowledgment of the child's death.
  3. Senator Ron Johnson plans to investigate further, which could lead to more transparency from the FDA.

How Moderna hid the death of a child in a Covid vaccine clinical trial - even as it seemed to disclose the trial's results

Unreported Truths • 45 implied HN points • 09 Jan 25
🏥 Health Politics Clinical Trials
  1. A child died during Moderna's Covid vaccine trial, but the company didn't report it properly. This raised concerns about transparency in vaccine testing.
  2. Moderna published trial results that excluded details about the child's death, which created confusion about the safety of their vaccines for children.
  3. The company has not provided further details about the child's health condition or the circumstances of the death, leaving important questions unanswered.

Perkins' Tractors: a fashionable remedy put to the test

The Quack Doctor • 19 implied HN points • 01 Dec 23
💾 History Clinical Trials
  1. Perkins' Metallic Tractors were an 18th-century medical device believed to relieve pain by attracting fluid away from the body using metal prongs, based on the concept of 'Perkinean Electricity'.
  2. Dr. John Haygarth conducted an early clinical trial on Perkins' Tractors, revealing placebo responses that influenced disease perception through imagination, showcasing the importance of evidence in medical treatments.
  3. Haygarth's experiments demonstrated the significance of comparing new treatments against controls, emphasizing the ongoing process of making clinical research as objective as possible.

An Insider Perspective on the FDA: History and Role

Holodoxa • 39 implied HN points • 14 Oct 22
🏥 Health Politics Clinical Trials
  1. Understanding the FDA's approval process for drugs includes stages like drug discovery, preclinical studies, clinical trials, and regulatory approval.
  2. The FDA's accelerated approval program, initiated in the 1990s due to HIV/AIDS, aims to speed up bringing life-saving drugs to market for urgent conditions, but follow-up studies are crucial.
  3. FDA approval decisions hinge on expert clinical judgment, balancing benefits and risks for patient safety and efficacy, a process that involves multiple stakeholders and extensive data evaluation.

Clinical Trial to License RotaTeq, Like Almost All Childhood Vaccines, Did Not Use a Placebo Control

Injecting Freedom • 80 implied HN points • 25 Jun 23
🏥 Health Politics Clinical Trials
  1. Most childhood vaccines were licensed without using a placebo control in their clinical trials.
  2. The clinical trial for RotaTeq did not use a true placebo as the control group, but included bioactive ingredients.
  3. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. advocates for vaccine safety and freedom of choice without restricting access to vaccines.

The Potential of Psychedelics

The Last Bear Standing • 43 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Clinical Trials
  1. There has been a resurgence of interest in the medical potential of psychedelics, with ongoing research and clinical trials exploring their efficacy in treating mental health conditions.
  2. Despite the challenges and market fluctuations, there is increasing regulatory support for psychedelic drug trials, potentially leading to FDA approvals and breakthrough therapy designations for conditions like PTSD.
  3. Psychedelic treatments involve controlled drug administration in conjunction with therapy, aiming to address the root causes of mental health disorders by stimulating new perspectives and thought patterns.

Pfizer's secret documents reveal that their COVID vaccine actually made you 8.7% more likely to get COVID

Steve Kirsch's newsletter • 14 implied HN points • 08 Jan 25
🏥 Health Politics Clinical Trials
  1. Pfizer's documents suggest that the COVID vaccine may have actually increased the chance of getting COVID by 8.7%.
  2. The data showed that vaccinated individuals were less likely to develop N-antibodies, which means they might have had more infections than those who weren't vaccinated.
  3. There are serious concerns about the effectiveness of the vaccine, and some people believe it may have contributed to a rise in COVID deaths after it was rolled out.

The CFR from the Pfizer trial show the vaccines make you 5x more likely to die from COVID

Steve Kirsch's newsletter • 14 implied HN points • 25 Dec 24
🏥 Health Politics Clinical Trials
  1. Vaccinated individuals may have a higher case fatality rate from COVID, being five times more likely to die if they contract the virus after getting vaccinated.
  2. There is a suggestion that vaccinated people could be 40% more likely to catch COVID compared to unvaccinated individuals.
  3. When combining the increased likelihood of infection with the higher fatality rate, it is estimated that the risk of dying from COVID can be over five times greater for those who received the vaccine.

Pfizer pregnancy trial showed the COVID shots increased AESIs (like major congenital abnormalities) in newborns by over 4X

Steve Kirsch's newsletter • 12 implied HN points • 26 Nov 24
🏥 Health Politics Clinical Trials
  1. A recent study found that COVID vaccines during pregnancy are linked to a 4.2 times higher rate of serious problems in newborns compared to unvaccinated mothers.
  2. The study showed no benefit in preventing COVID infections among vaccinated and unvaccinated mothers, meaning the vaccine didn't help at all.
  3. Despite these concerning results, there seems to be a lack of awareness or action from health authorities to inform or protect pregnant women from these risks.

Avoiding Neurotech's Theranos

NEUROTECH FUTURES • 1 HN point • 13 May 24
🕹 Technology Clinical Trials
  1. Elemind, a neurotech startup, raised $12 million but displays red flags such as lack of product-market fit and a potential mismatch between its science and business teams.
  2. The company has made eyebrow-raising claims about its technology, including rapid results in sleep induction and other neurological benefits.
  3. Critical analysis is crucial in the neurotech industry to steer clear of potential scams and inflated promises.

COVID-19 vaccines’ effectiveness and safety exaggerated in clinical trials & observational studies, academics find

Who is Robert Malone • 15 implied HN points • 06 Mar 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Clinical Trials
  1. Claims about COVID-19 vaccines' effectiveness and safety were exaggerated in clinical trials and observational studies, impacting risk-benefit analyses.
  2. Observational studies exhibited biases like case-counting window bias, affecting estimates of vaccine effectiveness.
  3. Studies showed issues with safety estimates, short counting windows, and potential negative effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.

The Anatomy of a Clinical Trial

Superfluid • 26 implied HN points • 19 Apr 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Clinical Trials
  1. Clinical trials are expensive and crucial for determining the efficacy and safety of new drugs.
  2. There are multiple stakeholders involved in running a clinical trial, each with important roles to play.
  3. Challenges in clinical trials include patient recruitment, trial logistics, and data analytics, but there are innovative startups working on solutions.

MoonLake Immunotherapeutics

Axial • 7 implied HN points • 17 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Clinical Trials
  1. MoonLake Immunotherapeutics is developing a tri-specific nanobody therapy called Sonelokimab (SLK) that has shown significant efficacy in treating inflammatory diseases like HS, PsA, and PsO.
  2. SLK offers unique benefits like blocking all IL-17 pro-inflammatory dimers, enabling tissue penetration, and maintaining high response rates in patients with moderate-to-severe conditions.
  3. MoonLake's SLK has the potential to become a best-in-class IL-17 inhibitor in a multibillion-dollar market, with its innovative structure, clinical success, and competitive advantages over existing treatments.

Axial Discovery - Clinical trial statistical analysis

Discovery by Axial • 1 implied HN point • 08 Sep 23
🔬 Science Clinical Trials
  1. Clinical trial statistical analysis involves collecting and interpreting data to evaluate new treatments.
  2. Startups have opportunities to develop software for automating and streamlining statistical analysis processes due to increasing data complexity.
  3. Software development for data integration, visualization, and communication can improve efficiency in clinical trial statistical analysis.

Five New Vitamin D and COVID-19 Studies

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 0 implied HN points • 14 Aug 20
🏥 Health & Wellness Clinical Trials
  1. Genetic studies on vitamin D and COVID-19 are inconclusive, showing no clear causal link.
  2. There is potential for a U-shaped curve in the relationship between vitamin D levels and COVID-19 risk, with optimal levels between 30-40 ng/mL.
  3. Maintaining vitamin D levels above 30 ng/mL is associated with lower COVID-19 risk, severity, and mortality, with clinical trials underway to provide more clarity.

Chapter 33: New medication for Hot Flashes- Elinzanetant

Spyderdoc Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 31 Jan 25
🏥 Health & Wellness Clinical Trials
  1. Hot flashes affect many women during menopause, with symptoms like sudden warmth and sweating. These can start during the perimenopausal phase and may last for years after menopause.
  2. Elinzanetant is a new non-hormonal medication that has been effective in reducing hot flash frequency for over 70% of women within 12 weeks. This treatment is especially helpful for those who can't use hormone therapy.
  3. In addition to medications, lifestyle changes like avoiding triggers and practicing cognitive behavioral therapy can help manage hot flashes and improve overall quality of life.