Opinion | ‘More Loose Change From the Pharma Sofa Cushion’: What We Heard This Week

“It’s nothing major, but provides more loose change from the pharma sofa cushion.” — Thomas Miller, JD, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, discussing one of the healthcare provisions in the bipartisan infrastructure bill.

“In science we must always ask, is it causation or association.” — Sharon Zarabi, RD, CDN, of Lenox Hill Hospital/Northwell Health Katz Institute for Women’s Health in New York City, about the link between pecans and lipid levels.

“The industry is in desperate need of regulation.” — Adam Wolf, an attorney for a California couple suing a fertility clinic after an embryo mix-up.

“We’re basically flying blind right now.” — Katelyn Jetelina, PhD, MPH, of UTHealth School of Public Health, on CDC’s inability to report on breakthrough COVID-19 cases in real time.

“Removal of any restrictions on receipt of HCV treatment based on provider status, liver fibrosis, and substance use history should be prioritized.” — Risha Renee Irvin, MD, MPH, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, on potential barriers preventing hepatitis C patients from seeking treatment.

“Our results are getting us closer to characterizing and measuring the inflammatory potential of people’s diets.” — Nikolaos Scarmeas, MD, PhD, of Columbia University in New York City and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School in Greece, discussing how diets with higher inflammatory potential were tied to a higher risk of incident dementia.