Episode 12 dives into the world of menopause. With special guests, Garnet Anderson PhD and Cindy Pearson, Pharmanipulation explores the evidence from and controversies about menopausal hormone therapy. Dr. Garnet Anderson is a biostatistician and clinical trialist at the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center and is one of the Principal Investigators of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), a set of federally-funded, long-term studies of the effects of menopausal hormone therapy on chronic disease risks in postmenopausal women. Cindy Pearson is a women’s health activist who served as the executive director of the National Women’s Health Network for 25 years. Cindy led the Network’s efforts to expand access to health care and to improve research on women’s health.

Additional Resources

Manson JE, et al. The Women's Health InitiativeRandomized Trials and Clinical Practice: A Review. JAMA. 2024 May 28;331(20):1748-1760. doi: 10.1001/jama.2024.6542.

Hickey M, et al. Normalising menopause. BMJ. 2022 Jun 15;377:e069369. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2021-069369. PMID: 35705221.

Series on Menopause from The Lancet: published in March 2024, this series of articles and perspectives considers how we can empower women as they age and transition through menopause.

SWAN Fact Sheets: these fact sheets summarize the results of the Study of Women'sHealth Across the Nation (SWAN). SWAN is the only multi-ethnic long-term natural history of women before, during, and after menopause. They outline the major findings from SWAN on bone health, memory and cognition, hot flashes,sleep, depression, urinary incontinence, sexual functioning, and vaginal health.

Episode 11 features Paul Offit MD, an international expert in virology and immunology. Dr. Offit is a professor of pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and director of the Vaccine Education Center; he is also the Maurice R. Hilleman Professor of Vaccinology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He chats with PharmedOut about the current measles outbreak, the real risks and benefits of vaccines, RFK Jr., the medical freedom movement, and more.

Additional Resources

Dr. Paul Offit’s Beyond the Noise Substack: https://pauloffit.substack.com/

Autism Science Foundation: https://autismsciencefoundation.org/teams/dr-paul-a-offit/

Dr. Offit’s op-ed “Giving Infectious Diseases a Break?” in thePhiladelphia Citizen: https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/guest-commentary-giving-infectious-diseases-a-break/

Dr. Offit’s open letter to Senator Cassidy about RFK Jr.: https://www.statnews.com/2025/05/07/rfk-jr-kennedy-hhs-secretary-bill-cassidy-measles-epidemic/

“A Boy Who Had Cancer Faces Measles Risk From The Unvaccinated”: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/02/03/383324228/a-boy-who-had-cancer-faces-measles-risk-from-the-unvaccinated#:~:text=To%20Protect%20His%20Son%2C%20A,of%20parents%20refusing%20to%20vaccinate.

Episode 10 highlights examples of how patient advocacy groups influenced pharmaceutical decisions at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In a conversation with health policy researcher, author and activist, Sharon Batt PhD, we explore regulatory decisions on Relyvrio (AMX0035), Avastin (bevacizumab), and Addyi (flibanserin) within the context of our latest report “What Needs to Change at the FDA?Protecting and Advancing Public Health.”

Pharmanipulation is produced by PharmedOut, a project at Georgetown University Medical Center that advances evidence-based prescribing.

Additional Resources

Full Report “What Needs to Change at the FDA? Protecting and Advancing Public Health”: https://georgetown.box.com/s/n87us836fpmdhtcvdaqopyobfwx7bymx

Webinar on “What Needs to Change at the FDA?”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g9br3wZW-k&t=11s

Article on “How some drug companies manipulate patient advocates” by Judith Garber: https://lowninstitute.org/how-some-drug-companies-manipulate-patient-advocates/