The Most Insane Cover-Ups and Deceptions by the Medical Industry

Go to sheathunderwear... and use the code “BLAZE” to get 20% off your order! Thank you for sponsoring this video.
GET AN EPIC BEARD: beardblaze.com
BECOME A LEGEND (with ease) by joining my Legendary Legends Newsletter: t.co/jedug2vS4...
This video is #sponsored by Sheath.
Simon's Social Media:
Twitter: / simonwhistler
Instagram: / simonwhistler
Love content? Check out Simon's other KZbin Channels:
Biographics: / @biographics
Geographics: / @geographicstravel
Warographics: / @warographics643
MegaProjects: / @megaprojects9649
SideProjects: / @sideprojects
Into The Shadows: / intotheshadows
TopTenz: / toptenznet
Today I Found Out: / todayifoundout
Highlight History: / @highlighthistory
Business Blaze: / @brainblaze6526
Casual Criminalist: / thecasualcriminalist
Decoding the Unknown: / @decodingtheunknown2373

[@brainblaze6526]

Go to sheathunderwear.com and use the code “BLAZE” to get 20% off your order! Thank you for sponsoring this video.

[@franklegalley6225]

😅kk

[@winzracingNZ]

"Safe and Effective" "prevent the spread" "you won't even get sick" But, sign here... No legal recourse and we aren't even releasing our own data for 75 years. 😂😂😂😂

[@Zach-qs2bw]

They kinda screwed you by having a 25% off sale right now .sorry fact boy, I need that savings.

[@pamelamays4186]

BTW Simon, Sheath also makes products for women.😊

[@Zer0_Cool69]

Simon probably won’t see this, but he should look into a drug called Factor. It’s used on hemophilia patients to help their blood clot. Back in the late eighties the manufacturer of the drug released a huge batch of tainted Factor. Tainted with what you might be asking. HIV. The drug was made by taking clotting agents from non infected people. Some people who were HIV positive blood was used, and since scientists didn’t know much about the disease at the time didn’t test donors for the disease. HIV blew up in the United States because of this, and various other reasons. When the manufacturer of the drug found out about the tainted batch they pulled the bad batch from the shelves. Guess what they did with the tainted batch. You would assume that it was disposed of, but think again. Since it was used for other blood disorders they sent all the bad batches over to Africa, and I’m pretty sure that’s when the Aids epidemic in Africa blew up. I personally have or had rather, 3 relatives who were hemophiliacs and all three contracted HIV from the tainted Factor medication. They did receive a bit of money due to a massive class action lawsuit. Not nearly enough to compensate them for contracting such a terrible disease.

[@kandreasworld4374]

I was orginally put on Depo Provera (an injectable birth control) to stop my periods because i was quite literally bleeding to death because of an uncontrolled bleeding disorder. I once made the mistake of mentioning this to another doctor who reported it to my insurance company and they refused to cover it because the primary use wasn't birth control. Me being kept alive by it was an off-label use and not covered. You wouldn't believe how hard i had to fight to convince them i wanted birth control to use as birth control just so i didn't end up bleeding out. 😳 Sadly, at the time, my bleeding disorder was so rare, that there was no other treatment for it and because it was rare, no money was being put into finding treatment for it either. So sometimes off label use can be a life saver.

[@JoshSweetvale]

Flee to Europe. They won't do this to you.

[@sassywolf1]

I'm on it. Fully funded in nz. Costs me twenty bucks every twelve weeks

[@cmaden78]

Wow. I'm glad you're ok. As a woman I'm appalled and shocked by that doctor! My obgyn is CONSTANTLY fighting for his patients, as far as I know goes out of his way to make sure to say whatever he needs to say

[@samiam2088]

That's so fucking dystopian...

[@Etymon-jt3zw]

My ex was also on that depo provera and there's a reasonably good chance that it caused our son to be born with down syndrome and a heart condition. A couple of years after she quit taking it.

[@luxorien]

Thalidomide was never licensed in the United States because Frances Oldham Kelsey, despite repeated applications from the company and significant political pressure, refused to let it pass by her desk without additional safety data. It was one of the first applications she reviewed when she took the job at the FDA.

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

Correct. This woman isn’t given the credit she deserves for how many lives she saved. She had a spine of steel and balls made out of what the Titan sub should have been made out of to not cave under so much pressure as a NEW person on the job!

[@markcarey67]

There is a book called Dark Remedy about the history of Thalidomide which is where I read about her story and also chronicles the drug's later day rehabilitation as a treatment for leprosy.

[@jamiewilks2421]

The current use of thalidomide is antineoplastic (cancer fighting) due to the mode of action.

[@KingOath]

@@jamiewilks2421Yeah, apparently it’s actually a pretty good drug as long as you keep it miles away from anything to do with pregnancy

[@vixenrevitup]

@@KingOathYep, but Revlimid (Lenalidomide) and Pomalyst (Pomalidomide) have been found to be more effective. The pharmacy I work for (I’m just a Certified Pharmacy Technician) has a Specialty side contracted to dispense the drugs. Thalomid (Thalidomide) made up for about 9% of those prescriptions. Of the entire pharmacy’s (we are a dual Traditional and Specialty Pharmacy) profits, Revlimid ALONE accounts for 10% of them! Big Pharma is a Big Business… 9 times out of 10, drug companies favor their profits over the needs of the poor patients…

[@TheKampfschaf]

My grandma got Contagan (Thalidomide) from her dr when she was pregnant with my mom. When my great grandma saw the package on the table she threw it in the oven saying "you don't need such shit" it's scary to think about how lucky my family was that day. There's a high chance i only exist thanks to my grumpy great grandma.

[@TheKampfschaf]

@@samarnadra Thank you! She was a great woman, despite being grumpy sometimes.

[@Plaprad]

I was on Lyrica for Fibromyalgia for years. That lawsuit screwed me over hard. The VA refused to prescribe Lyrica for anything but it's intended use, i.e. not for fibro. So I had to go on one of the "approved" medications. I don't recall that six or eight months, but the "approved" medication is now listed as an allergy in my records and I've had several friends tell me they don't know how I survived. But, I literally have no memories from that time period, so no harm, no foul.

[@margauxf4321]

I was prescribed Lyrica by my community pain management a YEAR ago to get off gabapentin for my CRPS, but the VA pharmacy refuses to fill it. B.S.

[@Plaprad]

@@margauxf4321 That's the VA for you. Gabapentin was what they put me on. Never been so messed up as when I was on it.

[@ColeyDuncan]

That sucks. I guess I had one of the few doctors that would actually get off his ass. 8 years ago, I got a script for Lyrica from my pain management Dr, told my VA Dr I couldn't afford it, so he told me to bring it to him and he'd make sure it got filled. He did, and a year later, the VA dropped the ball on my referral, couldn't go to pain management anymore, no more Lyrica script, and withdrawals worse than opiates. So yeah, the VA sucks.

[@JonnyMack33]

Horrific Pregablin and Gabapentin.. they're horrible. My ex was on 600mg a day.. but that obviously goes out the window after a while and she could easily take 10 x that and be more or less normal. If I took 600mg though it caused grand-mal seizures and if I'm honest I think it's given me epilepsy. Plus the loss of half a tooth. .... but if she ran out, (which I hated because it was so worrying; siezure risk .. even death apparently!) there's literally no difference in preG withdrawal & Heroin, and I know this an ex heroin -addict- user (I'll always be an addict) .. and honestly, it might actually be worse. Well done to all and any that get away from that. 👏 👌

[@DahliaVonHellion]

@@JonnyMack33if you are actually personally prescribed it, and take it as intended in the doses that are prescribed, for a problem you actually have, it can be very beneficial for a lot of people. There will always be good and bad reactions to every drug, if that wasn’t the case we wouldn’t have so many different ones. I was on pregabalin (also 600mg) for a long time, I got off of it for various reasons and the withdrawals did suck, but if you taper down slowly and just like… deal with it it goes away eventually and that’s that. It’s not logical to rubbish an entire medication in general because some people have bad experiences with it.

[@AnyoneCanSee]

The word "cromulent" was invented by The Simpsons in the 1990s. It comes from a joke where one character says "Embiggens, I never heard that word before moving to Springfield" and someone responds, "It's a perfectly cromulent word." People started using it to mean "acceptable" as a joke. You can use it and people are impressed without realised you are using a joke word from The Simpsons - which is what happened here. However, this usage caused it to become common enough to be included in the Oxford English dictionary and they further promoted it by making it the word of the day on Twitter in 2021 without mentioning its origin. This means it is now used as a genuine word by people completely unaware of its origin. Yes, I bore people at parties but I still think that's an interesting story.

[@Zombie_Problem]

It's a rich lexicon indeed.

[@sandybarnes887]

When Edna Krabappel, the fourth-grade teacher, remarks, “’Embiggens’? Hm, I never heard that word before I moved to Springfield,” Elizabeth Hoover, the second-grade teacher, answers, “I don’t know why. It’s a perfectly cromulent word.”

[@Unknowngfyjoh]

I'm glad someone else typed this so I didn't have to.

[@Zombie_Problem]

@@Unknowngfyjoh that's perfectly cromulent.

[@FairyPhantasia]

Wasn't it Shakespeare who created words to describe things etc? Many we use today? I say more words 😂 we created Hangy as well.

[@Mr.FuzzyDingo]

The fines a Pharma Co. receives for "knowingly" marketing something dangerous should be greater than the profit of said product to help discourage this unfortunately common crime.

[@Flynn_Stones]

For "knowingly" marketing somethint dangerous should be a minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. Unknowingly should be greater fines than profits.

[@ryanc473]

Off-label prescriptions absolutely have a rational basis behind them. Just, as an example, I was prescribed propranolol (a beta blocker antihypertensive medication) for anxiety. Worked like a goddamn charm, and believe me when I tell you it kicks the shit out of benzos for chronic use. So, basically, instead of an addictive drug that tends to lose efficacy over time (something like Xanax or Ativan), I got a blood pressure medication prescribed at a dose where it doesn't really have any significant effect on my blood pressure but cut down on the panic attacks considerably (as it would prevent my heart from racing when I thought about my heart racing lol, thus preventing the thing that always made me panic, and frankly, it's one of the least side effect ridden drugs I've ever taken at the dose I was prescribed. To be fair, it doesn't actually do anything mentally, so if I've already gone down the rabbit hole it won't stop it (that's the one thing benzos have an edge on), but it was able to altogether prevent me from ever actually going down the rabbit hole in the first place, as it essentially just deadened the physiological response that would set the whole thing in motion (though, don't get me wrong, if something goes bump in the night, I still have a significant adrenaline rush, it just made it so that I basically can't think myself into a panic anymore lol)

[@beckybequette8212]

I had a discussion about this a few days ago with the hubby. Corporations tend to factor possible fines into their business model. Banks being fined for opening false accounts (allegedly Wells Fargo?) and pharma companies as mentioned here. As long as the fines are a small portion of the profits, the companies aren't going to stop doing evil stuff. For a fine, the government should look at the books and fine ALL the profits from that endeavor and add a few millions. Once it's no longer profitable, this alleged behavior should at least slow down

[@klmeyer9907]

Wells Fargo admitted to false account scheme

[@aceundead4750]

It doesnt help that only like 10 pharmaceutical companies are allowed to make certain drugs that they're then allowed to arbitrarily set the price even if it cost them less than half that to make the damned things.

[@kristenprange6812]

Reg Nurse here: Thalidomide is used a a very mild chemotherapeutic agent for treatment of cancers in patients who CANNOT bear children. I had a patient on it at a nursing home & when I gave it -it had a very explicit warning ⛔️ that it was a known fetal danger ⚠️ & women of childbearing age had to wear gloves 🧤 even just to handle the capsules.

[@Turbendido]

Off label prescriptions are super normal. My periods would basically leave me bedridden and it's not like that anymore

[@twocvbloke]

I like how Kevin is embiggening Simon's vocabulary with the use of Cromulent, all the while we're chuckling to ourselves knowing he didn't get the joke........ :P

[@homersimpsonsfatguyhat9541]

He has obviously never been to Springfield

[@DoucheBag8008]

Im glad im not the only one to get it and before anyone tries to argue embiggening is a perfectly cromulent word

[@Rekuzan]

Actually, I think they might have added Embiggen to the dictionary already....

[@homersimpsonsfatguyhat9541]

@@DoucheBag8008 😁

[@De.de.C]

😂😅 I chuckled so loud!

[@MissBlueEyeliner]

As someone who relies on off label medications for chronic diseases, I really feel like it should remain in the doctors hands to prescribe them. I would be screwed without them.

[@CorinnaAtHome]

Agreed!

[@Author.Noelle.Alexandria]

Simon really showed how lucky he’s been medically.

[@RHCole]

Wasn't aspirin originally not meant for pain relief?

[@alexander-mauricemillamlae4567]

@@RHCole Aspirin is still meant for pain relief as it's got anti-inflammatory (inflammation) and anti-pyretic (fever) properties. It's just also used for intentional blood-thinning these days, like if you have an ischemic stroke (!!! beware as if you have a hemorrhagic stroke Aspirin will actually make things a lot worse so only doctors should give Aspirin for stroke symptoms after an emergency MRI), or harmful blood clots somewhere.

[@bboops23]

I've always wanted to sue insurance companies for practicing medicine without a medical license. The fact that they can decide to override your doctor's decision because it's an off label usage should be a case of this. I truly wonder how it would pan out

[@owenjohnson7243]

we need a video on the legal history of why Simon (and other people too, i guess) needs to put "allegedly" on every accusatory statement made towards big corporations

[@JK-gm6kk]

To me it's always been more of a UK thing. Apparently in the US proving libel and or slander is way harder to do

[@ThatWriterKevin]

Because reporting on allegations is very different than reporting unproven allegations as facts. The latter is potentially defamatory.

[@NextEevolution]

@@JK-gm6kk the most recent headline example of a massive lawsuit being paid out because of accusatory statements, or lies in this case, was Fox News being forced to fork out 787.5 million dollars to Dominion Voting Systems for defamation. While "allegedly" wasn't given as the example that would have kept Fox News from paying for broadcasting baseless claims, apparently all they had to do was state "if that's true..." everytime someone spouted nonsense against Dominion. At least, according to a host on MSNBC.

[@eph2vv89only1way]

It's because they don't want to be sued

[@owenjohnson7243]

yes, but what legal precedent was the first to establish that as a general rule of conduct on the internet, and when, where, why and how did it go into place. i guarantee there is at least a 10+ minute video i there somewhere.

[@UmatsuObossa]

I definitely think off-label prescriptions need to be allowed. I'm one of those women who use birth control for PCOS...and untreated PCOS is a NIGHTMARE. The only other option for PCOS is surgery to remove your ovaries.....and then you'd be dealing with menopause as a young woman.

[@Andrew-vj2ep]

yes, in Australia, ‘off-label’ can often be a stand-in phrase for ‘non-PBS subsidized, but otherwise well-understood medical use-case’. PBS is a scheme where Aust residents have most medications subsidized by the government, who are in a position to get better deals with pharmas as a result. most pbs-listed meds (within the prescribed-purpose, hence the ‘non-pbs’ use) have a price capped at around $30-45 ? i think? your doctor can prescribe bigger packets to save some $ if needed. if you have a low-income card (e.g. uni students under a government allowance), it’s about $6 from memory.

[@hedera1332]

This is incorrect, PCOS affects different people differently, birth control and surgery *are not* the only options for most people with the illness (I've only heard of people with it having their ovaries removed if they were having severe issues with their ovaries specifically). Not all of those with PCOS even have cysts on their ovaries! Many of those with PCOS (myself included) are able to manage their symptoms through specific dietary restrictions, although I'll admit it can be pretty strict to follow. Any doctor worth their salt (which are honestly few and far between if you ask me) will tell you this before even considering the pill, let alone surgery!! Be careful using absolutes to describe medical conditions, you can give a lot of people the wrong idea or unjustly scare others. I've never taken the pill and don't plan on ever doing so as, while it can help a lot of people with PCOS, it can actually make PCOS worse for a lot of others, especially if they come off of it.

[@hedera1332]

@@Andrew-vj2ep Yeah, it's super useful! Here I can get my ADHD meds for about $7 for a month's supply, whereas in the US they would be a couple of hundred dollars 😬

[@UmatsuObossa]

@@hedera1332 not all with pcos have cysts?? THEN YOU DON'T HAVE PCOS!! It LITERALLY stands for poly-cystic ovarian syndrome!! Meaning having MULTIPLE cysts on your ovaries IS the disease! You are literally just making shit up and claiming to have PCOS when you don't even know what it is.

[@ignitionfrn2223]

1:20 - Mid roll ads 2:50 - Back to the video 4:55 - Chapter 1 - Children of thalidomide 11:40 - Chapter 2 - Vioxx 17:50 - Chapter 3 - Off label promotion - Chapter 4 - - Chapter 5 - - Chapter 6 -

[@agailparsons]

Thalidomide is still available today as Thalomid but it's primarily used for Hansen's Disease (leprosy) and recently has been used for treatment for some myelomas. Patients are required to be on birth control and not pregnant before it is prescribed.

[@amgoudman]

As far as the cocaine piece: there IS such a thing as legal cocaine. Seriously. Many hospital emergency rooms DO keep a small amount of cocaine to use as a nasal anesthetic for conditions such as severe nosebleeds. And no, they do NOT get it from the pharmacist in the hoodie down the street.

[@callmesenpai7843]

Same with dentists. Some more old timey dentists still use it as a local anesthetic

[@arashicreations7003]

I was prescribed birth control at 14 years old due to irregular and extremely debilitating periods. The pain was so excruciating that I would spend my periods curled up in a ball on a mattress thick pile of towels in the back corner of my closet. Blood flow would leave me anemic, and cause severe migraines, as well. If off label use was not allowed, I would still be suffering from this condition, 16 years later. Now, I don't even notice my periods. I only know that I am about to have it because of birth control schedule.

[@MountainCry]

Fifty years to think of an apology and that's what the company who made Thalidomide came up with? 🤦‍♀

[@TitularHeroine]

Apalling. When Simon started reading the part about the bronze sculpture, I started saying "no no no no no" out loud until, yeah, he revealed the worst.

[@garyb9167]

New Jersey is called the Garden state because Petrochemical dumping ground won't fit on a licsence plate

[@Spooky_Platypus]

💀

[@beagleuk3233]

OG BB subs remember when we had to wait a week to blaze, then Simon expanded the Blazement and captured several more writers, now we have a near daily Blaze

[@Unknowngfyjoh]

Have you noticed that Biographics and Geographics are being abandoned?

[@Rosenfeld.]

Factboi’s rebuilding the BB channel with all these quick video drops 💯

[@ThatWriterKevin]

An embarrassment of riches!

[@xessenceofinsanityx]

Yes, thalidomide is still used today. I've given it to several cancer patients. There is a very clear, BOLD warning on the packets now though.

[@maxbracegirdle9990]

Yeah, that's only kinda true. Molecules basically have mirror images of themselves and the thalidomide that's dangerous is the mirror version of the one that works, so all they do is take out the left isomer and they're left with what's good

[@thomasbaker6563]

​​@@maxbracegirdle9990se stereospecific synthetic pathway and your golden, requires smart chemistry otherwise you have to react it to get a second chiral center (diastereomer) which you can then separate. The numerous steps of this process lead to a significant drop in final product yeild. Sterioselective just isn't good enough for pharmaceutical applications unless chirality is irrelevant.

[@hannahherriott54]

Thalidomide answers here: (I’m a professor that has taught medical students biochemistry and my mother helped reintroduce thalidomide to the market as a cancer drug after the thalidomide baby generation). It is still called thalidomide and is used to treat rare cancers like myeloma and myelofibrosis. Interesting, when an American company brought it back to Europe as a cancer drug the pope had issues with the company’s policies to ask female patients if they were/might be pregnant to avoid more birth defects. The company that reintroduced thalidomide for cancer was soon bought by the only other company with a competing drug (which was drastically more expensive). Now it is used for cancers, host-vs-graft disorders, leprosy, and AIDS-related skin and blood conditions. There had been a lot of new and shady developments in thalidomide’s story since the 1950s.

[@NextEevolution]

I hope you eventually capture a writer in the blazement that has past work experience in a large medical setting. As someone who works in a hospital, holy shit, the things that go down behind closed doors and concrete radiation proof walls

[@Taragoola]

Simon is completely naive about all aspects of capitalism.

[@QBCPerdition]

I'm sure there's room in the blazement for you. Submit a writing sample, kiss your loved ones goodbye, and maybe try to smuggle in a kebab or two.

[@adenkyramud5005]

​@@QBCPerditionalso booze. Booze gotta go for a lot down there😂

[@opeeate]

lots of corruption if they're anything like the hospitals here in oz.

[@QBCPerdition]

@@adenkyramud5005 probably, though I know one denizen who specifically loves them kebabs.

[@graciesugarbee]

I have endometriosis and tho birth control will not cure it it helps so much by making sure it takes longer to grow. I am lucky to have one that cuts my period completely so I have less pain and don't have to deal with the extra pain and symptoms every month (or more! I had one every 2ish weeks at one point)

[@katsmeow6946]

Good news for you then. They (people smarter then I) have drawn aline between endorsements and a common bacteria. Just read about it today. Mice are responding to antibiotics.

[@rachelann9362]

Same. This is why I am birth control. Between the pain, and not being able to eat much at all for 2 weeks because my gut decides it’s going to stop working and completely blow up like a contorted balloon. Depo and Slynd have been life savers for me. I can’t take regular combo stuff because of my migraine type

[@graciesugarbee]

@@rachelann9362 I've been super lucky with my birth control actually helping me for as long as it has! I will most likely need another surgery soon to make sure it hasn't grown over my kidney. This disease is awful! Stay strong you are not alone! 💜

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

They had to pay how much to the whistle-blower? Damn, Simon normally just pays his _Whistle blowers_ 10 bucks then kicks them out of the car afterwards.

[@kandreasworld4374]

My doctor put me on Vioxx after a car accident. What I didn't know was that Vioxx was a blood thinner which isn't that big of a deal unless you have a bleeding disorder like I did. I went in for surgery and they couldn't stop the bleeding. My doctor knew damn well about my bleeding disorder and I could have easily died. Welcome to the world of kickbacks to doctors who prescribe certain drugs.

[@Lisa-oe1do]

Your doctor waking up every morning seeing his Vioxx alarm clock I'm sure didn't unconsciously put any thoughts in his head.

[@EpicGhostShadow]

I thought my prescriber knew her stuff until I looked up med interactions online to see if I could drink while on them and I found out that two of my meds had potentially fatal interactions. Safe to say I got a new prescriber ASAP

[@ChefAtPlay]

Yes yes! Right as I sit down, crack a beer, and spark a joint a notification for Brain Blaze graced my screen. Blaze on

[@tezzcan1]

As someone who has multiple health problems, I have been prescribed many different drugs during my life. I’m in the mid fifties now. So I’m used to reading leaflets about side affects. One of the last prescribed by my Consultant, had the worst sided affect I’ve read. It stated that one of the side affect could be death. Never had that one before.

[@docmike8601]

Before the 1980s, it would seem fairly reasonable that off-label prescribing would be banned for the reasons mentioned, but with the advancement of biochemistry and molecular biology, it is not as simple as drug X treats condition Y. It has become what intracellular pathways are altered by the drug, where in the body do those pathways exist, and would that be beneficial for condition X. restricting off label use of medications would mean a lot of suffering from people who benefit from taking drugs off label. One of the most off label prescription drug uses is to treat migraines. I doubt anyone who has benefitted from this wants that stopped...

[@fathertimegaming17]

Simon's ability to be surprised about something he knows that might not be common knowledge is amazing when you figure he's done five or six videos on it previously.

[@duanesamuelson2256]

Simon reads a lot of things which don't make a connection or memory in his brain. I know people who type up manuscripts who will spend a day typing 100's of pages who have no actual memory of what they typed or even what it was generally about (see a q type a q)

[@sassywolf1]

But it is common knowledge. Where I come from anyways

[@evilwelshman]

If off-label prescribing were to be made illegal, this would deprive children of most treatments since most medications are not licensed for use in children. This stems from a lack of research around its efficacy and side effect risks in children, stemming from the general difficulty of obtaining ethical approval to conduct experiments on children.

[@CAMacKenzie]

The U.S. FDA did not approve Thalidomide because of the persistance of pharmacologist Frances Oldham Kelsey. Thus, there were only a few Thalidomide children in the U.S., the most prominent being the fetus of Sherri Finkbine, whose husband had gotten thalidomide over the counter for himself on a trip to Europe and brought it home to Phoenix, AZ, where his pregnant wife used it. Realizing that her fetus would be severely deformed, she sought an abortion, which, at the time, (1962) was illegal all over the U.S. She received an abortion in Sweden. The fetus, so deformed that the Swedish doctor couldn't tell the sex, had no legs, one arm, and would have been non-viable. I remember her story, as "Mrs. Finkbine" was in the news all over the country at the time.

[@opeeate]

I bet her husband felt so bad. he tried to help but killed instead.

[@Dreckmal01]

How many times does an industry need to be caught lying before we collectively stop trusting them?

[@maxrockhamner]

The biggest deceit by the medical industry is that a vial of insulin should cost 1200 dollars Edit Please stop I get a notification every day

[@stateofkansass]

#truth

[@jackryan4313]

That's not deceit. That's just greed. And we all know it's bs Didn't that dude go to jail for it?

[@stateofkansass]

@@jackryan4313 now that you mention it. I remember an article about it. Now that would be a perfect video to do for Simon. I'd watch it!

[@kelseywoodie3012]

Yes I’d like to be able to afford my life saving medication

[@duncanglen3452]

​@stateofkansass pretty sure he's done one on him

[@theprofessionalfence-sitter]

We need a similar video for other industries with fun crimes, like construction or finance.

[@Zombie_Problem]

This term "fun crimes" is perfectly cromulent.

[@paulstewart6293]

In Scotland I went to school With a Thalidomide victim. He just wee teeny arms and hands. The early 60s. At the same time I met a girl who had been touched by Polio. She had leg braces. Us Scots were a healthy lot.

[@stupot_64]

"were"?

[@paulstewart6293]

@@stupot_64 I left Scotland 30 years ago and apart from watching Trainspotting, in France I don't know too much about public health there, other than that it's not very good. Makes me sad.

[@ThatWriterKevin]

One of my elementary school teachers was a thalidomide victim

[@Victoria-dh9vb]

I mean, birth control being used to treat menstrual issues shouldn't really be considered off lable use. The drug's intended effect is to control/alter your menstrual cycle, in both cases that's the desired result. I see how in most cases the technical differences could be a huge problem, but it seems redundant in this instance.

[@Annie_Annie__]

I took Vioxx as a teen and in my early 20s for chronic joint pain in my knee. It was incredibly helpful. I loved it and was annoyed when billboards went up prompting users of Vioxx to join a class-action lawsuit, and was frustrated beyond words when it was taken off the market. At first my doctors were equally frustrated and even said they wished they were given the option to prescribe Vioxx to patients that didn’t have heart problems and weren’t at risk for them (like me) and find other options for patients that did have heart problems. They blamed overly litigious lawyers and doctors that gave the drug to everyone without considering it’s suitability. But then things started to shift. I noticed that when I mentioned to new doctors that I used to take Vioxx, they’d cringe and try to change the subject. Then a few years after it was off the market, one of my doctors sent me a letter asking me to come in for an EKG and that they were asking all former Vioxx patients to get an EKG (if they’re not already under the care of a cardiologist). My EKG was good; no known heart damage. But apparently that wasn’t the case for everyone. It’s just so weird how the attitude switched from doctors loving the drug, to being mad at lawyers and thinking the drug has its place, to thinking “that was a really bad idea” and trying to correct for it. All it just 3 or 4 years.

[@user-xb7tb9rz4j]

Can we get an episode on the recent (somewhat dubious) decision to list aspartame as being a cancer causing ingredient? We already know your views on the belief that it causes cancer and I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting to see a whole episode of your reactions to this decision.

[@jackmason5278]

That's kinda ironic. Sodium cyclamate was its competition, but it was erroneously banned. They gave equal VOLUMES to rats and determined that sodium cyclamate was a carcinogen. What they failed to account for was that sodium cyclamate is many times sweeter than aspartame. A much smaller volume of it should have been used.

[@JonnyMack33]

Those of us that actually researched it in depth have always known it to be a carcinogen. We were just **Nut-Job Conspiracy Theorists** and obviously knew nothing.

[@EchoM1995]

That’s crazy I’m a diabetic and I remember it being in Splenda. I heard it caused a bunch of issues. I was given it since I’m a type one diabetic. Now I refuse to use fake sugar. Yeah bad for bloodsugar but better than cancer 😅

[@nevertimetotryagain]

Nooo don't take away off-label prescribing, that would affect like 50% of psych meds. Maybe more.

[@mammuchan8923]

In all these years of watching 100s of Simons videos, this is the first time I hear his father was a doctor. I feel vaguely insulted that he’s never shared this before 😅

[@DaveSlutzky]

Fun personal experience as a fellow doctor's kid: My mom had a promotional cloth tote bag with "Metrogel: Vaginal gel" emblazoned *all over it* and would routinely take it to the supermarket to bag groceries. And this was back when (at least in the US Midwest) someone would often pack your grocery bag for you. Those poor baggers!

[@SoManyRandomRamblings]

15:55 Simon has too much faith in pharmaceutical companies. They have to have done their own internal tests, otherwise how could they ever be sure that "independent" lab wasn't working with one of their competitors. They have at least one set of internal testing too.

[@SoManyRandomRamblings]

......update....yuppers....you read that if it had gone to trial, the payout would have had added an extra zero. That means they also had internal evidence showing something that would have hurt their claim of "we didn't know"

[@BojanMilic84]

I laughed cromulently, thusly I smashed the "Like" button.

[@ThatWriterKevin]

Thanks!

[@CindyandRicoTheCoonhoundCross]

I have a Mirena IUD for heavy/uncomfortable periods. I also take a low dose of an anti psychotic to sleep. So, neither of these are being used for their "intended purpose".

[@tmutant]

Frances Oldham Kelsey was the FDA doctor responsible for thalidomide not being approved for use in the US. The company did not provide any test results with the application. She ordered the company to perform tests. The company demanded approval 6 times and was refused each time.

[@ImKevan]

ADHD/ADD meds are more known as "baby meth" or "baby speed", ADHD/ADD meds are Dextroamphetamine, "speed" or "meth" is Methamphetamine, meth technically can be used to treat ADHD/ADD, but a far as I'm aware, it's very uncommon, both are just slightly different forms of the same thing, Amphetamines, aka central nervous system stimulants.

[@StfuFFS]

Less "baby meth" and just "meth meth".

[@ImKevan]

@@StfuFFS True lol

[@fon-zmcmusik6372]

Yeah I think it’s methamphetamine hydrochloride tablets under the brand name desoxyn and it’s given for severe add/adhd or for some really serious obesity problems but I’m decently sure it’s damn near never given

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

"To commemorate the Holocaust and honor its victims, we've erected a giant bronze statue of smiling Dr. Mengele holding hands with a pair of terrified red-headed twins with dwarfism."

[@mikewhite3530]

Someone should do the math how much of this episode is from the script and how much is simon reacting. I bet more than half of it is simon guessing what the next line would be about, or mis-remembering what he read in last week's script.

[@documentariesbycategory1483]

I couldn’t actually believe that they created a “ thalidomide commemerative statue” so I had to look it up. WTF?!?! How is this actually real? What complete and utter psychopath thought that was a good apology?!?!?!! Honestly, it’s almost like the company is saying, “if you didn’t question our judgement after thalidomide, how about now?”

[@solairith6467]

Off-label prescriptions have changed my life for the better. It takes so long to get the approvals. Waiting for them when the drug is deemed safe would cause a great deal of unnecessary suffering. I would have no way to treat some of my health conditions if it were not allowed.

[@ThatWriterKevin]

Genuinely surprise that Simon didn't know the word cromulent. Also, despite the comment towards the end, there was not actually a section cut out of the video. But you can get the full script and other cut intros (and other writing) through my bio.

[@robsquared2]

Simon not knowing Cromulant is perfect proof that the Simpsons is just another thing he's never watched.

[@chaweeasdfghjkl]

idk i just am a patient but i have type 1 diabetes and your channel exposing people and corporations responsible gives me a lot of hope to keep living thanks for all your hard work and production

[@danielreuben1058]

"Hire nazis to make flipper babies" may be the best line ever spoken on Brain Blaze, nay on any of Simon's 42 million channels.

[@nicholaslewis8594]

Exactly😂

[@zenawarrior3012]

The way Simon said endometriosis 😂. I didn’t know about Lyrica. And thank you about the ads!!! So ridiculous!!!

[@olencone4005]

24:00 "Hopefully this will work out, or I've wasted the better part of the morning" -- no worries Simon, this was far too informative and entertaining to ever be considered a waste ^_^ The hilariously illustrated version of "money and shit" alone was well worth the time imho, tho now half my neighborhood is likely wondering why some crazy guy is laughing so much 😅

[@ThatWriterKevin]

He was referring to "waste" being if he recorded the episode but then scrapped it

[@montanaogden3366]

Just a note on the “voluntary recall” thing. I’m in pharmacy school and we are taught that nearly all recalls of a drug are voluntary. The FDA issues a request for a voluntary recall and most pharmaceutical companies follow suit. When they don’t, the FDA can make the recall mandatory but it’s a lot of extra red tape and it’s usually a last step after voluntary recall request.

[@imzadi83fanvids7]

I was actually on Geodone for off-label use. Was warned it was an old school anti-psychotic and rarely used because of side effects. I have chronic migraine it worked and I was completely pain free. Unfortunately I started to get the side effect of severe facial pain and had to get off it immediately. That one pain free day was the last I've had in decades. :(

[@kaylaherrera4544]

i'm so sorry that you deal with that. Love is with you always.

[@imzadi83fanvids7]

@@kaylaherrera4544 Thanks.

[@stevenanderson9719]

According to a friend who is a doctor, to get a drug approved by the FDA it only has to have an efficacy rating of 35%. This means that out of 100 people 35 will be helped by the drug. Drug companies project the profitability of a new drug. When the lawsuits get to a certain level the drug gets pulled.

[@CyberKat04]

My mother has fibromyalga and she is allergic to sulfa so she can't take any of the current drugs for it. Even after developing heart issues she would willingly go back to it to live mostly pain free again

[@juliadagnall5816]

As I understand it, drug companies have to approach the FDA for approval to market their drug to treat a certain condition and in a perfect world the FDA will only do so if the data is good and it shows an improvement over existing therapies. Once they get that initial approval the pharmaceutical company doesn’t have much incentive to test all the possible off-label applications. Clinical trials are complicated and expensive and in the end the results might be inconclusive or negative. The FDA has always been fairly small compared to the number of things they’re responsible for (food, drugs, cosmetics, and some medical equipment) so they’re not going to chase the company down and force them to get approval. Doctors have historically not liked being told that they don’t know what’s best for their patients so they tend to prescribe based on anecdotal evidence which sometimes works out okay and sometimes… not so much. It’s an imperfect system.

[@Don_of_the_Dad]

I’ve taken Geodon. That medication was an excruciatingly painful hell. The side effects made me physically ill, and landed me in the hospital quite a few times. When I switched docs, he told me I was on a massive dose that with the side effects I was experiencing, could’ve killed me, and I have permanent health issues from it. I’m far better now (can’t have coffee anymore, and have to be careful about getting too excited), but there’s absolutely no reason why that should be on the market. $400 million fine for Pfizer, and I am stuck shelling out thousands a year in medical expenses because of it. I was put on it because I was a sad. It didn’t help at all.

[@JokerLokison]

Oh damn... fuuuggggghhhkkkkkk!!! Argh! Never trust your mechanic. There should be a way to even the score in these medical oopsies. I wanna pound the doctors that caused my long term incurable injuries and all the unnecessary trauma into piles of dust.

[@raptor2265]

Off-label prescription of certain drugs can (at times) work out well. I used to have a lot of trouble being able to get to sleep at night as a kid, so my doctor prescribed me a very low dose (0.2mg) of Clonidine, a drug intended for blood pressure management. However, Clonidine also has a side-effect of extreme drowsiness. Once the pandemic started and my stress went skyward, I went back on it again - and, frankly, the original blood pressure management part of it is probably beneficial now, too.

[@MarciaNewman-n8z]

When I was a teenager I took the malaria medicine for leg cramps. It worked perfectly, but not to long ago they got onto the doctors for going off label with their drugs. They can't prescribe it for leg cramps anymore, which is a pity because it worked.

[@Bacopa68]

As recently as the 1990's you could buy 666 Cold Remedy, which was mostly quinine OTC in the US. There are also many fish parasite medications that contain natural quinones.

[@hedera1332]

Have you tried magnesium supplements? I used to get terrible leg cramps (especially at night) but I haven't gotten them since I started taking a magnesium-calcium supplement... unless I forget to take them for a couple of days lol.

[@jenniferbailey1580]

The Orphan Drug Act is basically the only was the 2,000+ Rare Diseases the CDC acknowledges get new treatments. Basically, say treating a MS symptom would be profitable, but the drug, that works on spasticity or something not immune related, doesn’t get the desired numbers in MS patient trials. My motor neurons weren’t given instructions to replace myelin at the rate it’s lost, so I have spasticity like an MS patient can (I also am spared all the random nerve damage MS patients get, but my grandpa got an MS diagnosis in the 60s based on similarities and inability to confirm diagnosis. Btw, he died in 97 and my entire treatment plan was available to him) Anyway, the government basically legally encourages off-label prescription (for approved drugs) for Rare Diseases. Because there isn’t funding or a sample size to do tests. My current specialist came from a big enough hospital that he’s treated people who have Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia who were not my mother. We can bring a plus 1 and have all but 1 known Iowa patient at a restaurant table. Heck, we had 3 Kansans (father and 8 year old were patients, they shared a plus 1). And if the basic theory says it might work for x, then there are less steps to climb to do smaller testing (because sometimes all of us wouldn’t meet the usual testing numbers) for conditions the CDC (and equivalents worldwide. The last day of February is internationally Rare Disease Day) admit aren’t getting squat otherwise (like sure, my ankle foot orthotics are a nice light polymer material Grandpa didn’t see and I know folks who 3D printed a great brace, because enough conditions require the supports that they look to improve the things because good ones will sell. Grandpa took the same meds I do and was offered the pump that my mom had that dumped that drug right in her spinal fluid to get more benefit and avoid most side effects)

[@juliannesneary2674]

Next time can we talk about that time a pharmaceutical company launched one of the biggest drug abuse epidemics in recent history?

[@eliseedgar4524]

He talks about this in his other channel into the shadows

[@BradLancaster86]

one of our neighbors, when I was a kid, had survived thalidomide, that family had sports cars and a gigantic house, they got paid out.

[@velvetine74]

Simon has gotten talking to his writers and editors during the video down to a fine art with his multi camera set up these days. Watching how he has gotten better and better at this over the years improving the quality across all his channels is great!

[@Rekuzan]

Cromulent is actually a made up word from The Simpsons and went RIGHT over Simon's head, LOL!!! ~ According to the DVD commentary for The Simpsons, the showrunners asked the writers to come up with two nonce words that sounded like words that could be in actual use. Writer David X. Cohen came up with cromulent as one of those words. It means "acceptable" or "fine." ~

[@Unknowngfyjoh]

It's been added to the dictionary, so cromulent is a perfectly cromulent word. I'll bet David Cohen never imagined he would be embiggening the dictionary!

[@Rekuzan]

@@Unknowngfyjoh Actually, only online. Embiggen was the only one officially added to the Webster & Oxford dictionaries: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_the_Iconoclast#Embiggen_and_cromulent

[@ReYnd]

How does Simon know that New Jersey is nicknamed the Garden State, but not that Michigan and Illinois are separate states, and Chicago is a city in the latter? 🤣

[@danifalko8656]

man I love you calling out your writer. Kevin man. KEVIN. He's great.

[@nojimmyprotested9371]

Simon shouting: off license use should be banned! The veterinary community: 🤦🤦‍♀️🤦‍♂️

[@Tom-vx5eq]

"Allegedly, in my opinion," has to be in the top ten Simon phrases

[@kathi16323]

Thalidomide is still being used in 3rd world countries (Africa) for morning sickness!!! It is so sad as these people have no idea how bad this medication is for their babies...

[@StfuFFS]

The drug is now purified to strip out the dangerous version of the compound.

[@jonathanmimnagh8956]

1940, a lot of prescription drugs used with children are off label, as completing the research for new medicines with children is very difficult, especially with regards to ethical approval.

[@Keeks749]

Kevin has won me over, his scripts are so cromulent

[@cassandrakarpinski9416]

Not just doctors. My mum is a pharmacist and most of the pens in our house are from her continuing education on different new medicines and that

[@ikelove6784]

Simon, it's perfectly cromulent to miss a Simpsons reference

[@ThatWriterKevin]

Hard disagree, but happy everyone else got it

[@sandybarnes887]

It embiggens him 😅

[@hy-roller7771]

You know, it's really hilarious when you're watching something like this, and you get an unskippible ad for pharmaceuticals🤣🤣

[@atomicphilosopher6143]

Simon: "Surely everyone knows about this medication they've never taken and which was taken off the market before most of them were born." Also Simon: "How does something which kills microbes (bacteria) also kill bacteria?"

[@hedera1332]

Well I mean, not all microbes are bacteria, but yeah definitely a smol brain moment on his part lmao

[@jessemiller7540]

Simon has the best editors on youtube.

[@zarasbazaar]

I took vioxx for foot pain. It was great. Glad I didn't have the fatal heart attack.

[@ThatBaritoneGuitarGuy]

My favourite thing about the pharmaceutical industry is all the commercials saying "this drug is believed to do this." BELIEVED? All that means is they have NO CLUE what it does. But, here they are, on a national campaign to make us pay a year's wage for each bottle of something no-one knows anything about. Why? Because MONEY....

[@harrisonbergeron9764]

#1: Safe & Effective.

[@winzracingNZ]

"Safe and Effective." Like that submarine going to titanic...

[@chelseahulmston9056]

My grandmother was pregnant with my dad when flamydahide (I can't spell it) was available.......however my gran didn't know she was pregnant and as such wasn't given the drug like many others. Had she known she was pregnant the Dr's would of gave it to her. Dad was born full term and healthy......she went the hospital thinking he was a cyst...came home with my dad hahah

[@agailparsons]

Wow talk about close calls.

[@ronsimpsonll9739]

Just wanted to say I stand in awe and admiration of y'alls incredible linguistic skills in the ever changing you boob vocabulary dance. Bravo Guys❤

[@lunawolfking1340]

im on birth control because when im not on it my period just never stops. it took 2 months of constant crampy and bloody period to get the pills and every time i hear something about politicians or whoever wanting to take away access to contraceptives i fear returning to the days of being unable to do anything but curl up on my bed and beg for death

[@roryqpotter8242]

I actually take BC because I have a blood clotting disorder that gives me 6 week long periods if unmedicated. The regulation for my cycle actually keeps me from dying of blood loss.

[@a.robertson730]

Is Kevin in the basement yet? Or is that a cover up? Allegedly

[@babblerscorner]

They’re all in the blazement. It’s getting very crowded down there in the most wonderful (for us not them) way.

[@cammiex7238]

Mans smoked a bowl after this

[@pthelo]

Ok. I enjoy the "new" Brain Blaze format, but I still miss the old school standing and script slapping ranting format of the old episodes. How many signatures or how much $$$ would it take for Simon to do an old school episode for the Business Blaze fans? I know Simon loves capitalism and money, so I'm sure we could motivate him. There has to be a number, right? Maybe as an anniversary episode?

[@DeliveryMcGee]

My neighbor when I was a kid was a nurse. Every couple of years she'd give my mom a literal sack (imagine the paper bag a fast-food combo meal comes in, it was that size) full of pens. I don't think my household ever actually bought a pen until she retired.

[@DeliveryMcGee]

Also, my cousin likes to say he was voted "Biggest Drug Pusher on the East Coast" multiple years in a row in the '90s ... he was a sales rep for Merck, handing out those pens.

[@jabbomyth8735]

Adderall is closer to Meth than Coke lmao wouldn’t call it baby coke more like Shaq coke 😂

[@fon-zmcmusik6372]

Yep Ritalin is like coke and adderall is like meth haha good ol big pharma

[@alantremonti1381]

Simon eating up "cromulent" was just like how a QWYJIBO would fall for it.

[@jajssblue]

If only there were some way for the US to better regulate healthcare companies. I just can't think of how... /s

[@Mr.FuzzyDingo]

Maybe don't let the companies fund (which seems like bribery to us normies) the govt entity in trusted to regulate said companies 😜

[@jajssblue]

@@Mr.FuzzyDingo Such simple solutions seem to defy us. I can't imagine why... Oh right, corruption.

[@melodyblackhall6702]

Best comment here!😂

[@rickyal9810]

If only there was some sort of, umm, agency, that was tasked with regulating the food and drug companies. That would be great...I wonder what we would call it though 🤔