Episodes 15
Avg. Duration 47m
Activity Declining
Apple Rating 4.8 (566)
Since Sep 2025
Latest Episode Apr 2026

Publishing Details

Schedule
Weekly
Format
Episodic
Consistency
60%
Hosting
api.substack.com

Contact & Outreach

About This Podcast

Every episode of Drug Story uses one prescription drug to tell surprising, true tales about the business of disease and health. Hosted by award-winning science journalist Thomas Goetz, MPH, this podcast asks the big question: What happens when we use drugs to fix our big problems?

www.drugstory.co

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Recent Episodes

S1E14 Bonus Episode: Thomas talks with STAT

Apr 29, 2026 30m

A bonus episode! Here is a conversation that I had recently with STAT, the excellent publication about health and medicine.If you are in the business of health and medicine, you surely know about…

S1E13 On fluoride and tooth decay

Mar 31, 2026 50m

You may not think of fluoride as a drug, but it fits the bill: The FDA classifies fluoride as a drug, an essential nutrient to human health, and regulates its use. So yeah. It’s a drug.Fluoride used…

S1E12 On ivermectin and parasites (and other things)

Mar 24, 2026 48m

This episode is all about ivermectin - which truly is a wonder drug! A veritable miracle cure.For, ahem, river blindness. And for some other parasitic diseases, like hookworm. Mostly in animals.But…

S1E11 On patent medicines (with Tim Harford)

Mar 17, 2026 38m

Today we’re sharing an episode of Cautionary Tales, by Tim Harford.This show concerns Lydia Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound - one of the most popular patent medicines of the late 19th century. Mrs.…

S1E10 On medicine, with Dr. Eric Topol

Mar 10, 2026 30m

20 years ago, pharmacogenomics was all the buzz: matching specific drugs to our personal DNA was supposed to transform medicine and human health.But here we are 20 years later, and much of that…

S1E9 On Ambien and insomnia

Mar 03, 2026 48m

Ever heard of neurasthenia, aka Americanitis? It was the first epidemic of the 20th century - and it's number one symptom was insomnia.It may have just been the electricity.In this episode of Drug…

S1E8 On chronic pain

Feb 24, 2026 50m

Pain is probably the oldest problem in medicine. It’s the way our bodies tell us that something is wrong here.But pain has long been considered a symptom. So when medicine can’t find what’s wrong, or…

S1E7 On tuberculosis (with John Green)

Feb 17, 2026 45m

The idea of drug patents makes a lot of sense: The company that put the effort and resources into developing the medicine is the first to reap the benefits. That company gets a limited monopoly for…

S1E6 On testosterone and Low T

Feb 10, 2026 56m

It used to be that getting older meant slowing down. A little less pep, a little less zip, a little less zest. So it goes.For men, this was partly about testosterone. After 40 or so, our bodies…

S1E5 On Xanax and anxiety

Feb 03, 2026 45m

Do you feel that?That doubt and dread and worry?That’s anxiety - and lucky for you, there’s a pill for that.It’s called Xanax. And it works. Really well. And really fast.Prescribed for panic attacks…

S1E4 On Ozempic & obesity

Jan 27, 2026 1h 1m

For decades, obesity was treated as a matter of self-control and free will: If you were fat, it was your own fault.You could try a diet - but the diet companies were also in on the fix: For years,…

S1E3 On Zoloft & depression

Jan 20, 2026 46m

There’s no blood test for depression, no MRI or CT scan that can detect it. Because depression, like a lot of things involved with mental health, is invisible. Still, depression is the most common…

S1E2 On Lipitor & heart disease

Jan 13, 2026 1h 2m

Once you turn 40, it seems like half the people you know are taking a statin drug. You know, because their cholesterol is high, and to prevent heart disease down the line. It makes sense: better safe…

S1E1 On Epipen & food allergies

Jan 06, 2026 56m

Epipen is an exquisitely engineered, expertly marketed, totally modern drug. And it’s an amazing success story, especially if you count success through dollars - Epipen sales rose from $200 million…

S1 Drug Story: Trailer

Sep 26, 2025 2m Trailer

Diabetes and anxiety and insomnia and depression and food allergies. For every modern malady, there are drugs promising to fix it. SO MANY DRUGS.But they never really fix the problem, do they? Yes,…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Drug Story have?

Drug Story has published 15 episodes since September 2025, covering topics in Health & Fitness, Medicine.

Is Drug Story still active?

Drug Story is currently declining with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 47m.

How do I contact Drug Story for sponsorship or guest appearances?

Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for Drug Story, including email and social media links.

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