Dr David Cox
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drdavidcox.bsky.social
Dr David Cox
@drdavidcox.bsky.social
64 followers 32 following 49 posts
Freelance health journalist (Guardian, WIRED, Telegraph, New Scientist etc).

My stories: https://drdavidcox.contently.com/
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Dr David Cox
ejtodaynews.bsky.social
Trump Tylenol Push Could Actually Increase Autism Rates, Researchers Warn

@drdavidcox.bsky.social reports for @wired.com

www.wired.com/story/trumps...
Trump’s Tylenol Directive Could Actually Increase Autism Rates, Researchers Warn
Experts fear that Donald Trump’s anti-painkiller tirade could lead to an increase in risk factors for autism, and don’t trust the administration to assess data as it continues to search for a cause.
www.wired.com
September 25, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Reposted by Dr David Cox
mja-uk.bsky.social
Continuing our roll call of finalists for this year's awards. Shortlisted for The Dr Delvin Award for Sex and Sexual Health Journalism we have @drdavidcox.bsky.social @eleanorhayward.bsky.social and Noel Titheradge. Well done all!
September 2, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Reposted by Dr David Cox
bsrageing.bsky.social
How do we leverage increased public awareness of ageing biology to promote good science, not clickbait titles?

A panel by @drdavidcox.bsky.social, @dominicnutt.bsky.social, Elizabeth Mills, & @bradleyelliott.bsky.social explore how BSRA members can promote good science and what narratives work.
September 4, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Reposted by Dr David Cox
microbesinfo.bsky.social
#Gut #toxin may be a ‘critical piece of the puzzle’ behind the rise in early-onset #colorectal #cancer ...

| #Antibiotic | #bacteria | #Klebsiella | #colibactin | #Citrobacter | #ecoli | By @drdavidcox.bsky.social via @nbcnews.com
Gut toxin may be a ‘critical piece of the puzzle’ behind the rise in early-onset colorectal cancer
Antibiotic use in children may contribute to bacteria in the gut that produce the chemical.
www.nbcnews.com
April 25, 2025 at 1:01 AM
drdavidcox.bsky.social
Over the last six years, I've written a lot about cases of teenagers and young adults developing nicotine toxicity through excess vaping.

But as I wrote in this piece for @telegraphnews.bsky.social, there's a new culprit in town: nicotine pouches

www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitne...
Britain’s new nicotine addiction that could be more dangerous than vaping
The dangerous rise in these oral pouches is taking a worrying toll on the health of the nation’s youth
www.telegraph.co.uk
March 11, 2025 at 3:01 PM
drdavidcox.bsky.social
📣 My BBC podcast is now on YouTube

Shockingly more and more people under the age of 50 are being diagnosed with aggressive cancers for apparently unknown reasons.

I discuss the emerging theories and what we do and don't know

www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6OR...
Why are more adults than ever getting cancer younger? - The Global Story podcast, BBC World Service
YouTube video by BBC World Service
www.youtube.com
March 8, 2025 at 3:54 PM
drdavidcox.bsky.social
I was at Broadcasting House last week, filming a new episode of the BBC's The Global Story podcast based on some of my reporting over the past 6 months.

Cancer cases in under 50s are rising at an alarming rate, up 80% in the past 30 years.

But why? Listen here:
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
March 7, 2025 at 12:32 PM
drdavidcox.bsky.social
This is pretty heartbreaking, given the progress which has been made against HIV over the past 10 years
March 3, 2025 at 12:23 PM
drdavidcox.bsky.social
Of the many scary consequences of the USAID funding cuts - this is one of the most tragic.

Last year I reported on the emergence of lenacapavir, a gamechanging drug with the potential to end the HIV epidemic.

Now its future is in doubt

My WIRED story: www.wired.com/story/lenaca...
This New Drug Could Help End the HIV Epidemic—but US Funding Cuts Are Killing Its Rollout
Lenacapavir, a twice yearly injection that prevents HIV transmission, was named the breakthrough medicine of 2024. But without US foreign aid dollars, its delivery to millions worldwide is under threa...
www.wired.com
March 3, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Reposted by Dr David Cox
mja-uk.bsky.social
www.wired.com/story/lenaca... US funding cuts harming roll out of new HIV drug reports @drdavidcox.bsky.social in this fascinating piece for @wired.com
This New Drug Could Help End the HIV Epidemic—but US Funding Cuts Are Killing Its Rollout
Lenacapavir, a twice yearly injection that prevents HIV transmission, was named the breakthrough medicine of 2024. But without US foreign aid dollars, its delivery to millions worldwide is under threa...
www.wired.com
February 24, 2025 at 12:00 PM
drdavidcox.bsky.social
At a conference last September, I listened to a fascinating talk about a class of drugs called senolytics which aim to remove senescent cells, one of the hallmarks of ageing.

My story on how these medicines can help us tackle age-related diseases

www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
Anti-ageing jabs – they can rejuvenate mice, but will they work on humans?
Senescent cells power the body’s ageing process, and scientists are developing treatments to annihilate them
www.theguardian.com
February 9, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Reposted by Dr David Cox
costas-koumenis.bsky.social
Nice overview of the promise of FLASH Radiotherapy by BBC. Our research and views on its clinical potential are also featured. #FLASH_RT #radiotherapy #cancer
The ultra-fast cancer treatments which could replace conventional radiotherapy
A pioneering new treatment promises to tackle a wider range of cancers, with fewer side-effects than conventional radiotherapy. It also takes less than a second.
www.bbc.com
January 22, 2025 at 4:34 PM
drdavidcox.bsky.social
Radiotherapy is one of the most common cancer treatments.

Doctors have long known they could cure many more people, if only they could increase the radiation dose by 30% or more. New research is now making that possible.

My story and a 🧵

www.bbc.com/future/artic...
The ultra-fast cancer treatments which could replace conventional radiotherapy
A pioneering new treatment promises to tackle a wider range of cancers, with fewer side-effects than conventional radiotherapy. It also takes less than a second.
www.bbc.com
January 26, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Reposted by Dr David Cox
wired.com
The exit will cut a huge chunk from the World Health Organization’s budget, but the short-term financial gain for the US could come at the cost of disease outbreaks flaring up across the world.
Trump’s Plan to Leave the WHO Is a Health Disaster
The exit will cut a huge chunk from the World Health Organization’s budget, but the short-term financial gain for the US could come at the cost of disease outbreaks flaring up across the world.
www.wired.com
January 22, 2025 at 10:37 AM
drdavidcox.bsky.social
Nearly 5 years on from his last attempt, Trump is determined to withdraw the US from the World Health Organisation. As I discuss in my @wired.com story, this could have enormous implications for global health over the next 4 years.

🧵 below

www.wired.com/story/trump-...
Trump’s Plan to Leave the WHO Is a Health Disaster
The exit will cut a huge chunk from the World Health Organization’s budget, but the short-term financial gain for the US could come at the cost of disease outbreaks flaring up across the world.
www.wired.com
January 22, 2025 at 1:50 PM
drdavidcox.bsky.social
In September, I was at the UICC congress which highlighted the need for greater regulation of vapes, based around growing concerns that more and more vapers are becoming "dual users" - people who smoke and vape.

My latest @telegraphnews.bsky.social piece:

www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitne...
The risks of vaping and how to quit
With growing evidence that e-cigarettes are harmful, here’s how to beat your nicotine addiction and improve your health
www.telegraph.co.uk
January 21, 2025 at 3:25 PM
drdavidcox.bsky.social
For the vast majority of cancers, the last 20 years have been an unequivocal success story. The 1-year survival rate across the board is now over 70%.

But for 6 cancers in particular, the prognosis remains grim. What can we do better?

A quick 🧵

Full story:
www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitne...
The six least survivable cancers – and how to protect yourself against them
More than half of patients will die within 12 months of the six most fatal cancers, says new data. Here’s how to reduce the risk
www.telegraph.co.uk
January 18, 2025 at 12:07 PM
drdavidcox.bsky.social
When the XEC variant of Covid emerged in the autumn, it looked absolutely deadly in the lab. But that thankfully hasn't played out in real life.

So what's going on with Covid in 2025?

A quick 🧵

(My full story)

www.bbc.com/future/artic...
The mystery of why Covid-19 seems to be becoming milder
Covid-19 is now ubiquitous – but hospitalisations seem to be on a downward trajectory. No one knows why.
www.bbc.com
January 14, 2025 at 12:57 PM
drdavidcox.bsky.social
Took a look at one of the most popular new mental health treatments emerging in the UK at the moment - a form of brain stimulation which seems to showing benefit for people with symptoms of depression

For @observeruk.bsky.social & @theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Is a brain-stimulation headset the answer to depression?
The makers of a device that delivers small electrical impulses to the brain are hailing the technology as a groundbreaking mental health treatment, but others are sceptical
www.theguardian.com
January 12, 2025 at 1:05 PM
drdavidcox.bsky.social
When human metapneumonvirus started getting global attention over the past week - John V. Williams allowed himself a wry smile. As the world's preeminent expert on the virus, he'd spent 20 years trying to convince doctors that it was real.

My story & a short 🧵:

www.wired.com/story/human-...
Human Metapneumovirus Is Finally Being Taken Seriously
The attention being paid to a Chinese outbreak of a virus often confused with flu is a sign that respiratory infection tracking is improving.
www.wired.com
January 9, 2025 at 3:01 PM
drdavidcox.bsky.social
There's been a lot out there on human metapneumovirus after the cases in China.

It's an interesting example of how a very common (but previously neglected) virus is being taken much more seriously because we're actually testing for it

Me for @wired.com

www.wired.com/story/human-...

#health
Human Metapneumovirus Is Finally Being Taken Seriously
The attention being paid to a Chinese outbreak of a virus often confused with flu is a sign that respiratory infection tracking is improving.
www.wired.com
January 8, 2025 at 3:41 PM