Derek Lowe
@dereklowe.bsky.social
Medicinal chemist / chemical biologist, author of “In the Pipeline” at http://science.org/blogs/pipeline. derekb.lowe@gmail.com and on Signal at Dblowe.18
All opinions are mine; I don’t speak for my employer in any way.
All opinions are mine; I don’t speak for my employer in any way.
Reposted by Derek Lowe
One of the most widely prescribed drugs in the U.S. is the generic version of Lipitor.
FDA inspectors have found safety and quality violations at about half of the plants approved to produce it, records show.
FDA inspectors have found safety and quality violations at about half of the plants approved to produce it, records show.
Is Your Medication Made in a Contaminated Factory? The FDA Won’t Tell You.
The agency’s decision to conceal drug names on inspection reports has prevented doctors, pharmacists and patients from knowing whether medications made overseas are tainted by manufacturing failures t...
www.propublica.org
November 11, 2025 at 12:40 AM
One of the most widely prescribed drugs in the U.S. is the generic version of Lipitor.
FDA inspectors have found safety and quality violations at about half of the plants approved to produce it, records show.
FDA inspectors have found safety and quality violations at about half of the plants approved to produce it, records show.
Reposted by Derek Lowe
"I have lost count of the number of times over the years that I’ve said “Huh, I didn’t think mass spec could do that”."
Mass spec ID after screening hundreds of thousands of mixed library compounds - without any sort of tagging or labeling? Yikes:
Screening Without Tagging
www.science.org
November 10, 2025 at 10:52 PM
"I have lost count of the number of times over the years that I’ve said “Huh, I didn’t think mass spec could do that”."
On so many levels.
this man is an embarrassment to our Republic and its scientific and engineering history
Trump: "Nobody knows what magnets are."
November 10, 2025 at 10:07 PM
On so many levels.
Generic drug manufacturing is going to be difficult to (re)establish in the US:
Making Pills. But Not Making Them Here.
www.science.org
November 10, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Generic drug manufacturing is going to be difficult to (re)establish in the US:
Reposted by Derek Lowe
Jeffries: “Nobody who's serious in this country takes Dr. Oz seriously…I'm not going to respond to any comments from randos like Dr. Oz, who is woefully unqualified to be in whatever position he holds in the administration. He's a joke. These people are all jokes.”
November 10, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Jeffries: “Nobody who's serious in this country takes Dr. Oz seriously…I'm not going to respond to any comments from randos like Dr. Oz, who is woefully unqualified to be in whatever position he holds in the administration. He's a joke. These people are all jokes.”
Reposted by Derek Lowe
At my blog, I write more about my concerns for aspiring entering grad students in chemistry for Fall 2026. To reiterate - if you don't have a plan for next fall RIGHT NOW, you need to talk to your professors and advisers and develop a plan NOW: chemjobber.blogspot.com/2025/11/towa...
#chemchat 🧪⚗️
#chemchat 🧪⚗️
Towards a data-informed prediction of Fall 2026 US chemistry PhD admissions | a warning to senior undergraduates
As faithful readers of this blog know, I found the statement that Harvard Chemistry and Chemical Biology was cutting its Fall 2026 entering ...
chemjobber.blogspot.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:27 PM
At my blog, I write more about my concerns for aspiring entering grad students in chemistry for Fall 2026. To reiterate - if you don't have a plan for next fall RIGHT NOW, you need to talk to your professors and advisers and develop a plan NOW: chemjobber.blogspot.com/2025/11/towa...
#chemchat 🧪⚗️
#chemchat 🧪⚗️
So all that obsequious groveling by Albert Bourla to Trump is paying off, is that what we’re to assume here?
Pfizer won an obesity-drug bidding war after a US regulator warned Metsera against picking a rival offer from Novo Nordisk
Pfizer Wins Obesity Drug Prize, With Trump Administration Assist
Pfizer Inc. Chief Executive Albert Bourla had long searched for an obesity drug to make up for dwindling sales of the pharma company’s aging blockbusters. Late Friday, after a dramatic bidding war, he learned he’d finally claimed his prize.
bloom.bg
November 10, 2025 at 5:04 PM
So all that obsequious groveling by Albert Bourla to Trump is paying off, is that what we’re to assume here?
Reposted by Derek Lowe
No clear evidence to support any link between maternal acetaminophen (Tylenol) intake and autism or ADHD in offspring, a new umbrella, systematic review
@bmj.com
@bmj.com
November 10, 2025 at 12:19 AM
No clear evidence to support any link between maternal acetaminophen (Tylenol) intake and autism or ADHD in offspring, a new umbrella, systematic review
@bmj.com
@bmj.com
Reposted by Derek Lowe
Schumer (NY) 202 224-6542
Booker (NJ) 202 224-3224
King (ME) 202 224-5344
Hassan (NH) 202 224-3324
Durbin (IL) 202 224-2152
Ossoff (GA) 202 224-3521
Shaheen (NH) 202 224-2841
Gillibrand (NY) 202 224-4451
Masto (NV) 202 224-3542
Warner (VA) 202 224-2023
Booker (NJ) 202 224-3224
King (ME) 202 224-5344
Hassan (NH) 202 224-3324
Durbin (IL) 202 224-2152
Ossoff (GA) 202 224-3521
Shaheen (NH) 202 224-2841
Gillibrand (NY) 202 224-4451
Masto (NV) 202 224-3542
Warner (VA) 202 224-2023
November 9, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Schumer (NY) 202 224-6542
Booker (NJ) 202 224-3224
King (ME) 202 224-5344
Hassan (NH) 202 224-3324
Durbin (IL) 202 224-2152
Ossoff (GA) 202 224-3521
Shaheen (NH) 202 224-2841
Gillibrand (NY) 202 224-4451
Masto (NV) 202 224-3542
Warner (VA) 202 224-2023
Booker (NJ) 202 224-3224
King (ME) 202 224-5344
Hassan (NH) 202 224-3324
Durbin (IL) 202 224-2152
Ossoff (GA) 202 224-3521
Shaheen (NH) 202 224-2841
Gillibrand (NY) 202 224-4451
Masto (NV) 202 224-3542
Warner (VA) 202 224-2023
Reposted by Derek Lowe
Dems backed Trump into a corner where he’s advocating for starving Americans and hemorrhaging support. If they vote to let him off the hook in exchange for nothing it’s a cataclysmic failure. I know people are in pain but insulating Republicans from political consequences is not the answer.
November 9, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Dems backed Trump into a corner where he’s advocating for starving Americans and hemorrhaging support. If they vote to let him off the hook in exchange for nothing it’s a cataclysmic failure. I know people are in pain but insulating Republicans from political consequences is not the answer.
If you live in NH and don’t want this deal it’s time to get on the phones right now.
2/ The Senators who want to vote yes on basically any terms appear to be shaheen, Hassan, king and Fetterman. Slightly less clear but I think pushing that way are Peters and Durbin. You’ll note that four of these six are retiring. Others who seem on the fence include the two sens from Georgia and …
November 9, 2025 at 11:01 PM
If you live in NH and don’t want this deal it’s time to get on the phones right now.
Reposted by Derek Lowe
Following up on this. This remains a ‘cave is minutes or hours away’ situation. If you want to impact how this plays out you need to contact senators literally now. I want to add additional points of context. What I’m relaying is what I’ve picked up from highly reliable sources.
Sounds like the squishes in the senate caucus are ready to pull the plug with no ACA changes. This is real. If you want to register your opinion you shld call yr senator in the next hour. They not only want to reopen w/nothing. They want cover from their colleagues who still want to hold out.
November 9, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Following up on this. This remains a ‘cave is minutes or hours away’ situation. If you want to impact how this plays out you need to contact senators literally now. I want to add additional points of context. What I’m relaying is what I’ve picked up from highly reliable sources.
A thorough and honest eulogy:
Bluetorial-Jim Watson
I met Jim Watson a few times but did not know him well. However, I was greatly influenced by his book “The Double Helix”. He was a complicated human being with some very, very bad features, but some good contributions.
What follows is my personal perspective.
1/41
I met Jim Watson a few times but did not know him well. However, I was greatly influenced by his book “The Double Helix”. He was a complicated human being with some very, very bad features, but some good contributions.
What follows is my personal perspective.
1/41
a cartoon says hey everybody an old man 's talking while bart simpson looks on
ALT: a cartoon says hey everybody an old man 's talking while bart simpson looks on
media.tenor.com
November 8, 2025 at 3:23 PM
A thorough and honest eulogy:
Mass spec ID after screening hundreds of thousands of mixed library compounds - without any sort of tagging or labeling? Yikes:
Screening Without Tagging
www.science.org
November 7, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Mass spec ID after screening hundreds of thousands of mixed library compounds - without any sort of tagging or labeling? Yikes:
Now that is a cheerful thought, and a goal that is very much worth striving for! Let's make this vision a reality.
Steve Bannon: If we lose the midterms and we lose 2028, some in this room are going to prison, myself included.
November 7, 2025 at 3:46 AM
Now that is a cheerful thought, and a goal that is very much worth striving for! Let's make this vision a reality.
Reposted by Derek Lowe
Left unsaid: running away like RFK is not helpful.
Dr Oz: "One little tip -- if you see someone whose knees are beginning to buckle and their eyes are going back, don't watch what happens. These folks will actually get hurt worse by the fall than by dealing with the underlying condition. So give the person a bear hug, guide them to the floor gently"
November 6, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Left unsaid: running away like RFK is not helpful.
(Deleted earlier post, misattribution in press reports)
One of the visitors to the Oval Office during Trump’s GLP-1 announcement collapses, and Trump seems to be waiting for this tiresome interruption to end.
One of the visitors to the Oval Office during Trump’s GLP-1 announcement collapses, and Trump seems to be waiting for this tiresome interruption to end.
incredible photo that's definitely worth at least 1,000 words from Andrew Harnik of Getty
November 6, 2025 at 8:05 PM
(Deleted earlier post, misattribution in press reports)
One of the visitors to the Oval Office during Trump’s GLP-1 announcement collapses, and Trump seems to be waiting for this tiresome interruption to end.
One of the visitors to the Oval Office during Trump’s GLP-1 announcement collapses, and Trump seems to be waiting for this tiresome interruption to end.
Novo Nordisk exec Gordon Findlay (by reports) had just collapsed in the Oval Office. Trump stands there waiting for this annoyance to pass.
incredible photo that's definitely worth at least 1,000 words from Andrew Harnik of Getty
November 6, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Novo Nordisk exec Gordon Findlay (by reports) had just collapsed in the Oval Office. Trump stands there waiting for this annoyance to pass.
Good God, this is such a horrible statement in so many ways.
Dr Oz: "We've dropped the infertility drugs to make lots of Trump babies I'm hoping by the midterms."
November 6, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Good God, this is such a horrible statement in so many ways.
Reposted by Derek Lowe
Librarians told 404 Media they're being inundated with new pitches for AI library tech and catalogs are being flooded with AI slop books.
But more broadly, AI maximalism across society is supercharging the ideological war on libraries, schools, government workers, and academics.
But more broadly, AI maximalism across society is supercharging the ideological war on libraries, schools, government workers, and academics.
AI Is Supercharging the War on Libraries, Education, and Human Knowledge
"Fascism and AI, whether or not they have the same goals, they sure are working to accelerate one another."
www.404media.co
November 6, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Librarians told 404 Media they're being inundated with new pitches for AI library tech and catalogs are being flooded with AI slop books.
But more broadly, AI maximalism across society is supercharging the ideological war on libraries, schools, government workers, and academics.
But more broadly, AI maximalism across society is supercharging the ideological war on libraries, schools, government workers, and academics.
Reposted by Derek Lowe
"why has trust in experts been eroded?" idk maybe it has something to do with how misinformation has a multi-million dollar marketing budget and an infectious disease researcher has a $0 one.
November 6, 2025 at 3:45 PM
"why has trust in experts been eroded?" idk maybe it has something to do with how misinformation has a multi-million dollar marketing budget and an infectious disease researcher has a $0 one.
Reposted by Derek Lowe
Been saying this for awhile now and no one believes me: the reason the NYT affirmatively likes Trump and wants him to succeed is because he's good for their business
We saw this in Trump I too: when there's daily chaos, more ppl subscribe to more media outlets to keep track
We saw this in Trump I too: when there's daily chaos, more ppl subscribe to more media outlets to keep track
The New York Times Company’s digital subscriptions and advertising surged in the latest quarter, leading to a 26.1% jump in adjusted operating profit compared with a year earlier, the company said Wednesday.
The Times’s Profit Jumps With 460,000 More Subscribers
The Times now has 12.33 million total subscribers to all of its products. It has said it is aiming for 15 million by the end of 2027.
nyti.ms
November 5, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Been saying this for awhile now and no one believes me: the reason the NYT affirmatively likes Trump and wants him to succeed is because he's good for their business
We saw this in Trump I too: when there's daily chaos, more ppl subscribe to more media outlets to keep track
We saw this in Trump I too: when there's daily chaos, more ppl subscribe to more media outlets to keep track
This post is certainly correct. But you could swap the FDA initials for almost any federal agency or once-respected institution that the Trump administration has laid its magic fingers on.
We’ll be rummaging through the rubble for years to come, trying to put things back together.
We’ll be rummaging through the rubble for years to come, trying to put things back together.
Experts worry FDA’s credibility is being shredded by scandal and 'embarassing' ‘soap opera’ 'clown show' www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/f...
Experts worry FDA’s credibility is being shredded by scandal and 'soap opera'
Experts worry that the FDA’s credibility is being shredded by scandal and "soap opera."
www.statnews.com
November 5, 2025 at 1:47 PM
This post is certainly correct. But you could swap the FDA initials for almost any federal agency or once-respected institution that the Trump administration has laid its magic fingers on.
We’ll be rummaging through the rubble for years to come, trying to put things back together.
We’ll be rummaging through the rubble for years to come, trying to put things back together.
Reposted by Derek Lowe
Experts worry FDA’s credibility is being shredded by scandal and 'embarassing' ‘soap opera’ 'clown show' www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/f...
Experts worry FDA’s credibility is being shredded by scandal and 'soap opera'
Experts worry that the FDA’s credibility is being shredded by scandal and "soap opera."
www.statnews.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Experts worry FDA’s credibility is being shredded by scandal and 'embarassing' ‘soap opera’ 'clown show' www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/f...
Someday I will not have to write about Sarepta Therapeutics and their ineffective drugs that never should have been approved by the FDA in the first place.
This is not that day.
This is not that day.
Sarepta: Enough, For God's Sake
www.science.org
November 5, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Someday I will not have to write about Sarepta Therapeutics and their ineffective drugs that never should have been approved by the FDA in the first place.
This is not that day.
This is not that day.