Caila Brander

DEXA Dilemmas: Clarifying Recommendations for Osteoporosis Screening

By Caila Brander | Jan 30, 2018 | Comments Off on DEXA Dilemmas: Clarifying Recommendations for Osteoporosis Screening

With so much industry-sponsored content, who can you trust to figure out the truth about osteoporosis? Is it a serious threat to women’s health? Should you be getting bone scans, or considering medication?

Osteoporosis: Making Sense of a Diagnosis and Tough Decisions About Treatment

By Caila Brander | Jan 29, 2018 | Comments Off on Osteoporosis: Making Sense of a Diagnosis and Tough Decisions About Treatment

So, you just got home from the doctor with your DEXA bone density results in hand. You were told you have osteoporosis. Should you start taking medication? Are there things you can do without medication? What information can you trust?

FDA Meeting – Risk Benefit Assessment

By Caila Brander | Sep 18, 2017 | Comments Off on FDA Meeting – Risk Benefit Assessment

Testimony Delivered at the FDA Public Meeting on Benefit-Risk Assessments in Drug Regulatory Decision-Making

FDA Approvals: On a Fast-Track to Disaster

By Caila Brander | Sep 14, 2017 | Comments Off on FDA Approvals: On a Fast-Track to Disaster

Most of us want to be confident when we start a newly prescribed treatment that the medication we take will improve the ailment we seek to treat. We believe that our drugs have been tested and proven effective. We assume that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) verifies that any drug that hits the market is safe…

Whose Right to Free Speech? How Pharma is Co-opting the First Amendment for Profit

By Caila Brander | Jun 14, 2017 | Comments Off on Whose Right to Free Speech? How Pharma is Co-opting the First Amendment for Profit

The First Amendment’s protection of free speech is a cornerstone of individual freedom in the United States. However, not all speech is equally protected under the Constitution. Speech that threatens the safety and wellbeing of others can be limited under longstanding legal precedent.

What You Should Know About Tymlos (Abaloparatide) for Osteoporosis

By Caila Brander | May 20, 2017 | Comments Off on What You Should Know About Tymlos (Abaloparatide) for Osteoporosis

The National Women’s Health Network believes women have a right to know the potential benefits and risks of osteoporosis treatment, so we took a firsthand look at the evidence. We’ve compiled consumer health information about the drug so you can get the unbiased truth.

Weighing Your Options: Depo-Provera and HIV Risk!

By Caila Brander | Mar 31, 2017 | Comments Off on Weighing Your Options: Depo-Provera and HIV Risk!

Is Depo-Provera safe? According to the WHO, the answer just changed from “Absolutely!” to “Well, for most people, but not for all.” This is because studies have found a small but statistically significant correlation between using Depo-Provera and contracting HIV.

Why Insurance Doesn’t Work Like a Salad Bar

By Caila Brander | Mar 16, 2017 | Comments Off on Why Insurance Doesn’t Work Like a Salad Bar

One of the most controversial debates stemming from Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been over maternity coverage and who should pay for it. Under the ACA, coverage for maternity and newborn care—like mental health care, prescription drugs, and more—is part of the essential health benefits package that insurance companies must include in plans for individuals and small employers.

Birth Control is More Effective When Providers Empower Women!

By Caila Brander | Mar 6, 2017 | Comments Off on Birth Control is More Effective When Providers Empower Women!

The Guttmacher Institute recently published a report concluding that birth control failure rates are decreasing across the country, after years of stagnated progress. Each method presented a gap between how well it works if used exactly how it is intended…

From Phantom Activist to Marching on the Streets of Washington, D.C.

By Caila Brander | Jan 26, 2017 | Comments Off on From Phantom Activist to Marching on the Streets of Washington, D.C.

I have many prominent memories from the Women’s March on Washington. Hearing the cheers of half a million people reverberate through the buildings on Independence Avenue, all calling for change.