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Healthcare
Browse the ICIJ’s complete collection of articles and commentary on healthcare issues.
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Aug 18, 2021
Medical device-related deaths being ‘miscategorized’ in key US database, study finds
The new research appears to corroborate a key finding from the Implant Files investigation, which showed revealed how deaths linked to medical devices were being underreported.
Mar 23, 2021
On a mission to ‘build the future of health news’ amid a global pandemic
Syed Nazakat operates India’s first data-driven website dedicated to healthcare reporting, where he and his team have been on the frontline of reporting on COVID-19.
Dec 16, 2020
US medical industry urged to reassess paid events amid doctor kickback concerns
The rare ‘fraud alert’ from the Department of Health and Human Services could signal a harder line on industry-funded speaker programs.
Nov 16, 2020
Heart doctors more likely to implant devices from manufacturers that pay them, new study finds
The research challenges the claim that patient care decisions are not influenced when physicians receive large payments from drug and medical device companies.
Oct 08, 2020
US regulator calls for ‘black box’ warning on breast implants
The new FDA guideline is meant to alert patients to the health risks of breast implants, which have been associated with serious illnesses, ICIJ’s Implant Files investigation found.
Oct 05, 2020
‘Bottle of Lies’ author Katherine Eban on investigating Big Pharma
The bestselling writer discusses how she followed the story of fraud in generic drug manufacturing around the world in an interview with ICIJ.
Sep 04, 2020
Patient advocates push US states to mandate breast implant warnings
Frustrated by FDA delays, some survivors are promoting laws to require informed consent before breast implant surgery in at least six states.
Aug 26, 2020
Bayer to pay $1.6b to settle thousands of US Essure injury claims
Tens of thousands of women claimed they suffered severe health problems after being implanted with the contraceptive device.
Aug 24, 2020
‘They were punishing me for getting sick’
US immigration detainees say they're scared to report coronavirus symptoms, for fear of solitary confinement.
Aug 04, 2020
Essure injury complaints buried by Bayer, lawsuits claim
Only a fraction of incidents in which women were allegedly harmed by the contraceptive device were reported, experts in California cases claim.
Jul 02, 2020
New study backs breast implant illness claims by patients
A new study in a leading plastic surgery journal offers more evidence to support the existence of breast implant illness.
Jun 11, 2020
Lax testing of spinal cord stimulators threatens patient safety, consumer group warns
Public Citizen finds the U.S. health watchdog putting patients at risk by not requiring human trials for all new versions of the implant.
May 19, 2020
FDA warns Allergan over breast implant studies
US health authorities have issued a warning letter to leading global manufacturer, Allergan, for failing to properly carry post-market safety studies.
May 18, 2020
Worker safety program slashes rates of chronic kidney disease
As the coronavirus sweeps across the world, a new study offers signs of a breakthrough in stopping another deadly epidemic.
May 04, 2020
Investigating the coronavirus: The ‘Wild West’ of unproven treatments
Effective treatment for the coronavirus could save millions of lives, but the risks of moving too fast with too little science could be a bigger risk.
Apr 27, 2020
Investigating the Coronavirus: How employers are failing to protect their workforce
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed a rift between workers who can hunker down at home and continue to draw a paycheck and those who must work onsite.
Apr 14, 2020
Incomplete data creates headaches for reporters
I’m a COVID-19 data skeptic. The most widely-used numbers to describe the impact of the pandemic — reported cases and deaths — are flawed.
Apr 09, 2020
Spinal therapy tested on pigs and corpses banned in the UK
A controversial therapy for children with curved spines that featured in the Implant Files investigation has been banned in the United Kingdom.
Mar 24, 2020
Investigating the coronavirus: Who is cashing in?
There’s never been a major crisis that someone hasn’t seen as an opportunity to make a lot of money.
Mar 23, 2020
Global coalition calls for safeguards to prevent looting of coronavirus relief funds
A leading anti-corruption group is urging U.S. lawmakers to include tough safeguards that will protect against “self-interested parties" in a proposed coronavirus relief bill.
Mar 17, 2020
‘Involved and powerless’: Reporting from Italy on COVID-19
Italian journalists living in a high-risk zone adapt to quarantine and keep reporting on the outbreak.
Mar 17, 2020
Investigating COVID-19: Virus testing in the US
Are you a government or health official, medical worker or someone else with a Coronavirus story to tell? Share your story with us.
Nov 25, 2019
Safety data from 20 countries added to Implant Files database
The International Medical Device Database now has more than 120,000 records about faulty or even dangerous medical devices from 46 countries.
Nov 21, 2019
Australian Patients Win in Closely Watched Mesh Class Action
Hundreds of Australian women who suffered from a controversial type of transvaginal mesh won a landmark class action lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson.
Nov 16, 2019
Readers from 50 countries share medical implant stories
ICIJ received more than 3,500 responses from people affected by the medical device industry in 50 countries, bringing to life the personal cost of implants that fail.
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