Shows
Short WaveGLP-1 Pills Are On The Way. Here's What To KnowYou may have heard of Ozempic, and other GLP-1 drugs. They’re everywhere. And they typically involve weekly injections — which can have a sticker price of over a thousand dollars a month. And insurance coverage has been tricky to navigate for a lot of people. That’s why there’s a lot of excitement around a new pill form of the drug. NPR Pharmaceuticals Correspondent Sydney Lupkin chats about these experimental pills with host Emily Kwong. Check out more of NPR’s coverage about GLP-1s.Interested in more health stories? Email us your question at...
2025-12-1912 min
Short WaveWhat Works – And Doesn’t – For Hair Loss?People may think of hair loss as a guy thing. But by some estimates, half of all women experience hair loss in their lifetime. And when your social media algorithm gets a whiff? Good. Luck. There are some solutions out there based in science, but not every remedy works for every person — or every type of hair loss. (Yes, there are different types. And the type you have matters!) So today, pharmaceuticals correspondent Sydney Lupkin guest hosts the show to talk about causes of hair loss and how to figure out which treatments may be best for you. ...
2025-10-2711 min
Short WaveWhy Legal Weed Isn’t Always SafeMarijuana is decriminalized or legal in some form in multiple states. But, because it’s illegal on the federal level, states have had to build their own regulatory infrastructure. Without a centralized body to guide them, regulations in one state can look vastly different from those in another. For more on the scope of the issue, Short Wave host Regina G. Barber talks to independent science journalist Teresa Carr and NPR pharmaceuticals correspondent Sydney Lupkin. Read more of Teresa’s reporting on state marijuana testing, and more of Sydney’s reporting on the ways California is trying to make weed sa...
2025-10-1414 min
Short WaveTylenol and Autism: What’s True and What Isn’tOn Monday, the Trump administration linked the use of Tylenol with rising autism rates, but science doesn’t support that claim. Guest host Sydney Lupkin talks to autism researcher Helen Tager-Flusberg about how autism is studied, the findings from decades of research, and what people–especially those who are pregnant–should do when they experience pain or fever. Plus, we dig into guidance behind using leucovorin to treat autism.Interested in more science behind the headlines? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR...
2025-09-2414 min
Planet MoneyBuy discount Ozempic here now click this linkIn the past couple years, demand has gone wild for drugs like Ozempic – and its cousins, Zepbound, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. For people who had never been able to lose weight before, suddenly the numbers on the scale were plummeting. And everybody wanted to get their hands on them. Now, in most industries, if a product goes viral like this, it’s a golden ticket. And thanks to government-granted monopolies designed to encourage innovation, the big drug companies behind these blockbuster injections are currently the only ones allowed to make them.In theory, anyway. But, what i...
2025-08-2332 min
Trump's TermsTrump signs an order to reduce drug prices, but it's unclear how it would workPresident Trump is taking aim at U.S. drug prices with an executive order geared toward forcing drug companies to match the lower prices paid in other developed countries, as NPR's Sydney Lupkin reports. Support NPR and hear every episode of Trump's Terms sponsor-free with NPR+. Sign up at plus.npr.org.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com...
2025-05-1304 min
ICYMIWelcome to the TikTok PharmacyCandice Lim and Kate Lindsay aren’t immune to TikTok marketing, even when it comes to healthcare. From Hims and Hers to nutritional gummies to something called “beef tallow,” social media promises the answers to all your medical woes. To figure out how to responsibly navigate this new online healthcare landscape, Candice and Kate talk to NPR pharmaceuticals correspondent, Sydney Lupkin. Sydney recently wrote about the sometimes sketchy world of online weight loss drugs, and shares some tips for separating the solutions from the scams. This podcast is produced by Alexandra Botti, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim, and Kate Li...
2025-02-2247 min
Slate Culture FeedICYMI: Welcome to the TikTok PharmacyCandice Lim and Kate Lindsay aren’t immune to TikTok marketing, even when it comes to healthcare. From Hims and Hers to nutritional gummies to something called “beef tallow,” social media promises the answers to all your medical woes. To figure out how to responsibly navigate this new online healthcare landscape, Candice and Kate talk to NPR pharmaceuticals correspondent, Sydney Lupkin. Sydney recently wrote about the sometimes sketchy world of online weight loss drugs, and shares some tips for separating the solutions from the scams. This podcast is produced by Alexandra Botti, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim, and Kate Li...
2025-02-2253 min
Slate TechnologyICYMI: Welcome to the TikTok PharmacyCandice Lim and Kate Lindsay aren’t immune to TikTok marketing, even when it comes to healthcare. From Hims and Hers to nutritional gummies to something called “beef tallow,” social media promises the answers to all your medical woes. To figure out how to responsibly navigate this new online healthcare landscape, Candice and Kate talk to NPR pharmaceuticals correspondent, Sydney Lupkin. Sydney recently wrote about the sometimes sketchy world of online weight loss drugs, and shares some tips for separating the solutions from the scams. This podcast is produced by Alexandra Botti, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim, and Kate Li...
2025-02-2250 min
KZYX NewsCannabis Market is Plagued by Contaminants, Patchy Regulation, Uneven PotencyCannabis is legal for recreational use in nearly half of all U.S. states. And, it’s an increasingly common substitute for beer or wine. Numerous scientific studies back up the assertion that cannabis is less harmful than alcohol in terms of physical harm, dependence, and social harm. But as a new series by NPR’s Brian Mann and Sydney Lupkin point out, safety is relative and highly dependent on where your weed is sourced. A trusted dispensary may be your best protection against contaminants.
2025-02-1706 min
Short WaveA Brand New Kind of Schizophrenia TreatmentFor the past 70 years, schizophrenia treatments all targeted the same chemical: dopamine. While that works for some, it causes brutal side effects for others. An antipsychotic drug approved last month by the FDA changes that. It triggers muscarinic receptors instead of dopamine receptors. The drug is the result of a chance scientific finding ... from a study that wasn't even focused on schizophrenia. Host Emily Kwong and NPR pharmaceutical correspondent Sydney Lupkin dive into where the drug originated, how it works and what it might shift for people with schizophrenia.Read more of Sydney's reporting.Curious about...
2024-10-2311 min
Short WaveWant Juicy Barbecue This Fourth Of July? Cook Low And SlowPerfecting your grilling technique ahead of the Fourth of July? Chefs will tell you that cooking is not just an art — it's a science. And the spirit of summer barbecues, NPR science correspondent Sydney Lupkin brings us this encore piece about how understanding the chemistry of cooking meat can help you perfect your barbeque. It's all about low and slow cooking. This story was originally reported for NPR by Gisele Grayson. Read her reporting.Curious about other science powering the things you love? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message ch...
2024-07-0111 min
The NPR Politics PodcastAfter 30 Years, Here's Biden's Plan To Lower Drug Costs: NegotiateThe government announced the first ten drugs that are the subject of price negotiations between the U.S. government and private companies. For decades, the government has been prohibited from negotiating the price it pays through Medicare for medication — until the rule was relaxed under the Affordable Care Act.This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House reporter Deepa Shivaram, and Pharmaceuticals correspondent Sydney Lupkin.The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Unlock access to this and other bonus co...
2023-08-3012 min
Consider This from NPRBiden's Push to Make Some of the Most Expensive Prescription Drugs CheaperOn Tuesday, the Biden administration released a list of 10 medications that it's planning to negotiate prices for Medicare in an effort to bring down the costs of some of the most expensive drugs. It's part of a reform included in the Inflation Reduction Act. Many on the list are life-saving drugs that treat diabetes, cancer and other major health problems.|The new prices that the federal government will eventually negotiate for these prescription drugs won't actually go into effect until 2026, and that's only if it doesn't get tied up in court with drugmakers. Six pharmaceutical companies who have...
2023-08-3009 min
Short WaveWhy Babies Babble And What It Can Teach Adults About LanguageIn which we metaphorically enter the UCLA Language Acquisistion Lab's recording castle, guided by linguistics researcher Dr. Megha Sundara. NPR science correspondent Sydney Lupkin temporarily takes over the host chair to talk to Sundara about all things baby babble. Along the way, we learn why babies babble, how that babbling can change with exposure to new languages — and if there are any lessons for adults. Questions about other ways we develop? Email us at shortwave@npr.org and we might answer it in a future episode!
2023-07-2610 min
Short WaveThe Chemistry Behind A Perfect BarbequeChefs will tell you, cooking is not just an art — it's a science. And the spirit of summer barbecues, NPR science correspondent Sydney Lupkin brings us this piece about how understanding the chemistry of cooking meat can help you perfect your barbeque. It's all about low and slow cooking. This story was originally reported for NPR by Gisele Grayson. Read her reporting.Curious about other science powering the things you love? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
2023-07-0312 min
DrugPatentWatch – Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Business IntelligenceNPR and DrugPatentWatch – Can drug injector pens be swapped?On NPR’s All Things Considered, Sydney Lupkin asked DrugPatentWatch if drug patents could be used to identify injector pens which […]
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2023-05-1600 min
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsManchin Makes a DealIn a rare surprise for official Washington, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) announced a deal to expand the planned health bill in the Senate to include provisions raising taxes and addressing climate change. The measure would include a third year of expanded subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, but not health care coverage for people left out of Medicaid in states that failed to expand the program.Meanwhile, the ACA goes back to court, and the Biden administration restores anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people that were rolled back by the...
2022-07-2852 min
Short WaveThe Accelerated Approvals Process: Are Drugmakers Fulfilling Their Promises?The Food and Drug Administration allows faster drug approvals based on preliminary study data if the drug fulfills an unmet medical need. But the speedy approval comes with a promise that the drugmaker does another clinical trial once the drug is on the market to prove it really works. If not, the FDA can rescind the approval. How are the companies doing and how well does the agency enforce that system? Pharmaceuticals correspondent Sydney Lupkin investigated the 30-year track record for accelerated approvals. Today, her findings on stalled trials and missing evidence.
2022-07-2212 min
The NPR Politics PodcastThere Will Be Enough Vaccine Doses For Every US Adult By May, Biden SaysPresident Biden announced yesterday an accelerated vaccination timeline in the United States, but some states are already moving to fully reopen—a move public health experts warn could lead to deadly mutations and a dangerous backslide.This episode: White House reporter Ayesha Rascoe, pharmaceuticals correspondent Sydney Lupkin, and national political correspondent Mara Liasson.Connect:Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here.Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org.Join the NPR Politics Podcast Facebook Group.Listen to our playlist The NPR Politics Daily Workout.Subscribe to the NPR Politics Newsletter.Find and support your local public radio station.
2021-03-0314 min
What the Health? From KFF Health NewsPrepping For A Possible PandemicOfficial Washington is sitting up and taking notice of the threat from the novel coronavirus as Congress and the Trump administration prepare for a potential pandemic. Meanwhile, the Democratic candidates for president are still arguing about “Medicare for All.” Joanne Kenen of Politico, Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner and Shefali Luthra of Kaiser Health News join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, Rovner interviews NPR’s Sydney Lupkin about the latest “Bill of the Month” installment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2020-02-2733 min