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First Opinion

Perspective and opinion on biotechnology, medicine, and the life sciences writ large, curated (temporarily) by Pat Skerrett. Interested in sharing your thoughts? Learn more about submitting an essay to First Opinion.

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First Opinion Peter Staley

EcoHealth Alliance: Covid’s anti-science mob extracting its pound of flesh

First Opinion Anna Wexler

The ethical implications of Elon Musk’s unorthodox approach to medical science

Letters to the editor Patrick Skerrett

First Opinion readers respond to psychiatry and social contracts, Medicare and weight loss meds, and more

First Opinion Lynn Brielmaier

My stalled relay race to get access to ALS drugs in development

First Opinion Lawrence K. Altman

President Biden needs a full medical evaluation. Voters deserve to know the results

First Opinion Podcast Patrick Skerrett

Listen: Why is eugenics still alive and well in scientific publishing?

First Opinion Nick Manetto

STAT Plus: Can the National Institutes of Health navigate multiple storms and rebuild its bipartisan support?

First Opinion Dick Durbin and Lina M. Khan

Senate, FTC cracking down on pharma patent shenanigans

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First Opinion Pamela K. Gavin

The rare pediatric disease voucher program creates new treatments. I have new data to prove it

First Opinion Richard G. Frank

Psychiatrists aren’t fulfilling the social contract that subsidized their training

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First Opinion Alissa S. Chen

Medicare should wait on approving coverage for new obesity drugs

First Opinion Bernie Zipprich

Congress called for an ALS moonshot. The plan for it doesn’t leave Earth

Letters to the editor Patrick Skerrett

What readers have to say about long Covid, FDA and diversity, and more

First Opinion Josh Carpenter

To secure the U.S.’s biotech supply chain, pay attention to domestic companies

First Opinion Annette Ansong, Rachel Bond, and Tiffany Powell-Wiley

Medicare’s Part D policy is blocking progress needed to achieve Black health equity

First Opinion Safina Adatia

To get basic standard addiction treatment, Americans should move to Canada

Rebecca Soskin Hicks and Amelia Burke-Garcia

Eating rocks: The case for early integration of medical ethics into AI product development

First Opinion Tamei Elliott and Maria Vassileva

FDA: Don’t rush publishing your diversity guidance plan. Take your time and do it right

First Opinion Podcast Patrick Skerrett

Listen: Rep. Diana DeGette on why reproductive freedom must be protected

First Opinion Marisha Burden and Luci K. Leykum

Tackling administrative harm can yield better decisions for better care

First Opinion Andrew D. Forsyth, Mallory O. Johnson, and Jae M. Sevelius

Turning a ‘no’ vote into progress: How to advance MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD

First Opinion Diana DeGette

Two years since Dobbs, reproductive freedom must be protected from assault

First Opinion Roshni Koli and Christine Yu Moutier

To reduce suicide, primary care and mental health clinicians need to work together. Congress can help that happen

First Opinion Mark H. Smith

The FDA needs to embrace phage therapy to help fight antimicrobial resistance

First Opinion Patrick Skerrett

Readers respond to essays on long Covid, hypochondria, and more

First Opinion Saurabh Gombar

‘Patients like mine’ technologies must rest on solid evidence

First Opinion Zoe Adams and Asher Levinthal

Medical experts must step up if health justice is to enter the courtroom

First Opinion Molly Bowdring, Aaron S.B. Weiner, and Judith Prochaska

Getting ahead of a non-alcoholic beverage boom among youths

First Opinion Dan Samorodnitsky, Kevin Bird, Jedidiah Carlson, James Lingford, Jon Phillips, Rebecca Sear, and Cathryn Townsend

Journals that published Richard Lynn’s racist ‘research’ articles should retract them