In this special anniversary episode, Don and Steve throw it back to 1985—complete with mullets, mustaches, and popped collars—to celebrate 40 years of the Pharmacist’s Letter! Join them as they dig into the archives and revisit some of the earliest (and wildest) claims ever published.
Did we correctly predict the fate of rofecoxib and propoxyphene?
Does topical benzoyl peroxide now cause cancer?
Can you tell how long Don and Steve have been practicing pharmacy?
Get ready for a blast from the past as we dig up some retro rumors!
They’ll reexamine research and insights into some interesting claims from yesteryear including:
- Whether topical minoxidil really works for hair regrowth (and why Steve looks like he joined the trial)
- The Vioxx scandal and how it reshaped FDA safety rules
- Why Darvocet disappeared from pharmacy shelves
- The truth about benzoyl peroxide and cancer risk (spoiler: it’s still safe!)
- How a drug from lizard spit became a blockbuster for weight loss.
This episode is packed with nostalgia, clinical pearls, and a few good laughs.
TRC Healthcare Editor Hosts:
- Stephen Small, PharmD, BCPS, BCPPS, BCCCP, CNSC
- Don Weinberger, PharmD, PMSP
The clinical resources mentioned during the podcast are part of a subscription to Pharmacist’s Letter, Pharmacy Technician’s Letter, and Prescriber Insights:
- Chart: Treatment and Prevention of Hair Loss
- Chart: Managing NSAID Risks
- Algorithm: Drug-Induced QT Prolongation: A Step-Wise Approach
- Chart: Pharmacotherapy of Acne
- Chart: Comparison of GLP-1 and GIP/GLP-1 Receptor Agonists
Our listeners can get 10% off a new subscription with code podcast1025 at checkout.
If you’re a student, you can access a free version of Pharmacist’s Letter.
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Transcript:
00:00:05 Narrator
Welcome to rumor versus truth. Your trusted source for facts. Will we dissect the evidence behind risky rumors and reveal clinical truths? Today? We’ll see how claims we examined in the past have stood up to the test of time.
00:00:21 Stephen Small
Well Don. I feel very overdressed for this episode.
00:00:25 Don Weinberger
Steve, when I sent you the memo, I said dress 80s and you just took that ball and ran with it. So good for you.
00:00:32 Stephen Small
Yeah, I think I went a little too far. So for for our listeners here, I’m wearing a blonde mullet, A mustache, and some pretty big 80s glasses. Don, do you wanna tell everyone what you’re wearing, or should I say?
00:00:45 Don Weinberger
Barely wearing. I just. Yeah, I have a popped collar and spiky hair. So I I feel I feel under underwhelming here. So Steve, well, go ahead. I was gonna say what fun things were you doing in 1985?
00:01:02 Stephen Small
Well, I wasn’t alive yet, Don. How about you?
00:01:06 Don Weinberger
I was 1 crawling around being trouble and the reason why I mentioned that is in terms of what PL. was doing in 1985, that was the first issue. In June of 1985 and it’s our 40th anniversary. [Cheers]
00:01:23 Stephen Small
And I’m Steve, the pharmacist.
00:01:25 Don Weinberger
And I’m Don the pharmacist.
00:01:27 Stephen Small
And as you can guess in this episode, we’re going to look through our archives and do a rumor revival, doing some pharmaceutical archaeology to check out claims you reviewed in the past to see whether our verdicts have really stood up to the test of time.
00:01:38 Don Weinberger
Yeah, sort of like a back to the future episode of her past claims, right?
00:01:42 Stephen Small
Yeah, another good 1985 reference there. So let’s go to our first claim here and it’s great that I have this mullet that fits in perfectly. We’re going to warp back to our very first issue from June 1985 where we said that topical minoxidil is only approved for hair regrowth on the head and not for hair loss maintenance.
And our past verdict with this claim was that it was true and we said it can be used as possibly prophylaxis for hair loss. And keep in mind again this was back in 1985 that done what I found out was that oral minoxidil was, as we know, primarily used for high blood pressure.
At the time, maybe if your blood pressure wasn’t controlled by other products, but they found out through those clinical trials that a lot of the participants had hypertrichosis or hair regrowth on their head and body. And we’re talking like 60 to 80% of participants there. And as a result, when they actually started looking at this now for hair regrowth back in the 80s, they had tons of people wanting to join that trial, right?
00:02:42 Don Weinberger
Of course.
00:02:44 Stephen Small
I look like I joined it with this mullet on my head and now when we talked about this in that first issue of 1985, we were talking about topical minoxidil 2% lotion, which was launched not next year in 1986 as a prescription product. We’re actually ahead of the game on this, thank goodness.
It was initially only approved for men with approval for women actually coming later in the 1990s.
00:03:05 Don Weinberger
Right. Speaking of minoxidil on your head, looks like some drip down to your mustache too and maybe it’ll grow. So when was it approved actually for OTC use?
I don’t really remember it being a prescription, the topical version.
00:03:19 Stephen Small
Yeah, right. We’re used to it being an OTC product now, but it actually was approved as an OTC in 1996, way later than I thought. I obviously did not remember this because I was 5 years old.
But obviously the rest is history. So, Don looking back at this claim from 1985, that topical minoxidil is only approved for hair regrowth on the head, not hair loss maintenance, and it can be used as possibly prophylaxis of hair loss. Back then, the verdict was true. But now the verdict is….
00:03:51 Stephen Small
Still true… topical minoxidil, even OTC, is still only approved for hair regrowth. But clinical trials have shown that maybe it could prevent hair loss as well. So I do think this is interesting Don, to see this claim is still true. Over the years, we’ve seen things like 5% minoxidil come on the market and there’s been some other things too, right with compounding pharmacies do. You know what’s going on with that?
00:04:13 Don Weinberger
Yeah, yeah. So they’re actually putting the finasteride or dutasteride in these topical formulations to, make them work at the site of action versus, you know, a systemic kind of effect. So we’re seeing that kind of stuff as well.
00:04:26 Stephen Small
Yeah. So it keeps on going and honestly, we have a great clinical resource online treatment and prevention of hair loss that talks about all those proven remedies or effectiveness and safety.
And I gotta be honest, Don talking about hair loss. I gotta lose this mustache. This is driving me. Crazy, right? Taking this off.
00:04:43 Don Weinberger
Oh! Steve! Such a good disguise. I didn’t really recognize.
00:04:45 Stephen Small
I know, right. You didn’t know it’s me.
00:04:49 Don Weinberger
You make a good spy.
So let’s go ahead and fast forward a bit and look at a claim that about 20 years ago, so from today and that claim actually is that celecoxib or brand name, Celebrex is safer than Rofecoxib brand name Vioxx that’s coming from our room versus truth in August of 2002. And that past verdict we said was a rumor.
And what we actually said was the bottom line is that Vioxx, which is another selective Cox 2 inhibitor out at the time, causes fewer GI complications like ulcerations and bleeding than naproxen, but it might cause more adverse cardiovascular effects like hypertension, edema, heart attack and so on.
But we said the time, but so far there’s no proof that Celebrex is any safer than Vioxx. Umm, so you’re probably OK. We know it’s not true today and that’s true.
So, about a couple years after that, they had some data showing that Vioxx safety concerns… basically, we’re being withheld from medical journal publications and that’s been held by the manufacturer and that was termed the Vioxx scandal. And what came from that is the FDA getting involved in passing that Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007.
00:06:07 Stephen Small
And what exactly did that law change? I was too young at the time. What happened then?
00:06:10 Don Weinberger
Yeah, right. Yeah. And unfortunately, sometimes these laws are reactive, so something has to happen for, you know, for something to come into play.
So basically, what law does is increases the FDA’s post marketing surveillance authority. This include things like developing and using improved adverse event data collection systems, improve analytical tools to assess potential safety problems, and conduct those actually screenings after meds reach that market.
00:06:37 Stephen Small
Well I’m glad something good came out of it.
00:06:38 Don Weinberger
Yeah. Yeah, I guess fortunately, like I said, it’s reactive when it comes to these things. But that’s just how it is, right?
So looking back on the claim from August 2002, that Celebrex is safer than Vioxx. Back then, the verdict was rumor… but now the verdict is…
00:07:01 Don Weinberger
Now, it’s true was rumor. Now it’s true. We still have celecoxib as relative on the market. You know, it can be used for patients with cardiovascular risk and ulcer risks with NSAIDs.
We do recommend that they use a low celecoxib dose such as 100 milligrams twice a day for patients with those high cardiovascular risks. And you can always add a proton pump inhibitor like omeprazole, pantoprazole for patients with high GI ulcer risks. And we have resources and everything. Steve, do we have a resource on this as well?
00:07:30 Stephen Small
Yeah, actually we review some of those great tips you mentioned in our managing NSAID risks clinical resource which I refer to all the time, it gives great info on kind of judging that risk and where do patients fall and what are some options. So definitely check that out and it’s a great segue down to our next claim also about pain meds.
00:07:49 Stephen Small
Back in March of 2005, we had this claim. We looked at that Darvocet will be taken off the market and we actually called this a rumor. We said that this only stems from confusion with recent news from the United Kingdom, where they yanked Co promotional and has seen monofin dextropropoxyphene combo product similar to what we have is Darvocet here.
And some history stuff here that Propoxyphene or darvon was an oral synthetic opioid we had in the market that we used for things like mild to moderate pain and it’s been around since the 1950s. And we did have a combo product called Darvocet where it was combined with acetaminophen.
00:08:25 Don Weinberger
OK, Steve, you’re a young duck. You said earlier that you were right. So right. Was this drug even around in your practice?
00:08:33 Stephen Small
No, I’ve never dispensed this drug, thank goodness, cause it actually got taken off the market when I was in Pharmacy school.
So they actually found that it causes fatal cardiac arrhythmias even at normal doses in some patients. And it was that year, 2010, that the FDA recommended people don’t use it anymore and it ended up being taken off the market.
So regarding this claim, we looked at back in 2005 whether Darvocet will be taken off the market. We said it was rumor then, but the verdict now is…
00:09:03 Stephen Small
True, it has been taken off the market for over a decade now and I got to ask you, Don, did you ever dispense this now that you asked me?
00:09:08 Don Weinberger
Yeah. OK. Yeah, I’m older than you. Yeah. Yeah, I did remember dispensing this medication back when I was a technician way back in the day, we did see that, and I think I just saw some recently, back in my when I clean my parents cabinet out, there may have been a bottle of that back there somewhere that was collecting dust, contaminations everything else, yeah.
00:09:30 Stephen Small
They should probably get rid of that because cardiac rhythm risks are a bigger focus now with a lot of meds, and we have a great resource on this too. QT prolongation algorithms to help you kind of decide based on the situation whether you need to do more monitoring, change drugs, all sorts of good things to keep those arrhythmia risks top of mind.
00:09:48 Don Weinberger
Right.
And on the topic of news about recalls that makes our heart skip a beat, how about the one about benzoyl peroxide, right?
So back again. Back in the day, this is maybe about 19 years ago or so we made a claim that benzoyl peroxide causes cancer and that was our June 2006 rumor versus truth past verdict was a rumor and we said that reassure patients that there’s no proof that benzoyl peroxide causes skin cancer in humans.
Now, fast forward today. Very recent today actually. So in March of this year, 2025, the FDA recalled 95 acne products. That had benzoyl peroxide and found actually six of those to have elevated levels of benzene, which is a known carcinogen.
But to keep things in perspective with those, the FDA limit on benzene is actually two parts per million, so. Anything kind of at that range or below it is acceptable for use so 2 parts million is actually… for example, it would be like 2 milligrams of something per 1,000,000 milligrams of a substance.
00:10:56 Stephen Small
So yes, that’s a really tiny amount and how is this benzene even getting into the product Don? I’m curious.
00:11:01 Don Weinberger
Yeah, so it’s… not something manufacturers are putting into the product, so be safe about that carcinogen. It’s known worldwide that you don’t put this in products that you’re gonna put on your skin, obviously, right. But the benzene actually may have been introduced through the actual manufacturing process working with some oil products that kind of stuff… can be part of that whole manufacturing process or it’s part of the degradation product of expired benzoyl peroxide. So I did notice. I did tell you that six products actually were showing elevated benzene levels and the FDA should noted those six products were actually close to their expiration date, like within a few months or so. So kind of keep that in mind.
00:11:42 Stephen Small
Yeah.
00:11:44 Don Weinberger
So looking back on the claim from June 2006 that benzoyl peroxide causes cancer, back then the verdict was rumor. But now the verdict is…
00:11:59 Don Weinberger
It is still a rumor. It’s important to specify that even with daily use of these products, for decades, FDA says that the risk of person developing cancer because of exposure to benzene founding products is actually very low.
00:12:14 Stephen Small
Yeah, that’s a good point. And the truth is that benzoyl peroxide is still a really important backbone to acne treatment. And trust me, back in 2006 as a teenager, I was using plenty of this so.
00:12:24 Don Weinberger
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Me too. Yeah.
00:12:25 Stephen Small
Definitely don’t stay away from this. It’s still quite useful. And like you said, the risk is pretty low.
00:12:30 Don Weinberger
Yep, staff is still part of that treatment algorithm, right? Cutting back on the FDA recall. So watch that recall website for the new alerts. You know, store these products according manufacturer instructions and throw away any expired products. And Speaking of you know, their best chance to actually promote our our previous podcast, right, Steve, listen to our recent expired meds episode where we actually mentioned this.
And to kind of go back at that benzene testing, so stay tuned for actually more info as of episode FDA plans to publish its benzene testing results in medical journals in the near future.
00:13:03 Stephen Small
Yeah, and this reminds we also have a great clinical resource on pharmacotherapy for acne. Folks should check out. And benzoyl peroxide is definitely discussed there. So great resource there.
00:13:11 Don Weinberger
It’s definitely popping for sure for sure. Sorry.
00:13:14 Stephen Small
And then our last claim here is actually one about GLP one agonists like exenatide, a medication class, Don, that seems like it’s making more news every single day with new things coming out and back in 2014, we actually looked at this claim that GLP, one agonists like Byetta are a good choice for weight loss in patients without diabetes and back then we said this was true, but with conditions, we said that don’t recommend using GLP 1 agonist for weight loss in patients without diabetes. It’s too preliminary.
Now in 2025. We have some magnetite, liraglutide precipitate. They’re all FDA approved for weight loss in patients without diabetes. So we definitely flipped the script on that and also for example trizepatide can be used in patients who are overweight or obese, and they have to have one sort of weight related complication which could be diabetes, but it could also be something like high cholesterol or high blood pressure or something like that.
00:14:09 Don Weinberger
Since you’re kind of entering this GLP-1 and GIP world here. I remember. Was there one of them actually that was recently approved for, like another indication?
00:14:20 Stephen Small
Yeah, it just keeps growing. For example, there’s appetite might be what you’re thinking of where it was recently approved for sleep apnea. So sleep disorder related to obesity. So it just keeps growing. And it is important to keep in mind, folks, that these products still need to be used alongside a diet and exercise program. You can’t just rely on it solo necessarily, so definitely keep those non drug approaches in mind.
So regarding this past claim that GLP-1 agonists are a good choice for weight loss and patients without diabetes, before we said true, but with conditions and now today the verdict is…
00:14:55 Narrator
True.
These meds are obviously now approved for obesity and weight related issues, and they’re also being looked at for even more indications. Things like alcohol use disorder and even Alzheimer’s disease.
00:15:08 Don Weinberger
And we’ll definitely write about those when they they come more to light. And yeah, just to kind of bring back the Byetta. Like, who knew that a drug from Lizard Spit could actually have so many uses and, you know, kind of carry on this drug class?
00:15:22 Stephen Small
Yeah, 1001 uses and it’s growing by the day. It’s important to ensure, obviously that we have the best evidence when we’re supporting these decisions. We know that things change so we can see how those newer evidence can lead to new challenges. Right, Don?
For example, even though these are now approved for these uses, we do have issues with unapproved compounded versions on the market because they’re becoming so popular. So we solve one problem and now we’re kind of opening up another box of issues. So we’ll see where that leads.
And you can see our chart comparing GLP-1 agonist online to kind of compare your doses, costs and indications that can be really helpful as things change.
00:15:58 Don Weinberger
So the bottom line truth for this episode?
We uncovered truth overtime with research and knowledge.
00:16:05 Don Weinberger
And what a blast from the past. Hindsight is definitely 2020 when guaranteeing Healthcare is that our prognosis evolved? They do evolve over time, right? You know what’s what’s rumored today or back in the day is true today and vice versa, right or things can stay the same.
00:16:18 Stephen Small
Yes. Yeah, I’m surprised I’m surprised that these claims can stick around for so long and obviously get resurrected depending on things that change, like the science, culture, even regulatory things like we talked about. And I love what you said, that debunking or proving these claims takes research, which also means it’s going to take time. But what’s really great about this is learning from the past and looking towards the future.
I love that part of this episode.
00:16:41 Stephen Small
And like you said, Don’s constant change in Healthcare is always going to happen. And frankly, I think that’s what makes it exciting and that’s why I love Pharmacist’s Letter too, because we help keep our readers up with the times as things change. So stay tuned as developments come and we write about it.
And actually on that note, Don, we have an audience question from the last episode. You might be able to help answer.
00:17:02 Stephen Small
As you remember, we were talking about dyes and risks with those, and this writer asked. You talked about methylene blue being a dye that is used therapeutically, but are there other dyes that you can prescribe or use medically? What do you say?
00:17:18 Don Weinberger
Actually, yeah, there is one actually. Keeping spirit of the episode. There was one with the 80s connection. It’s called Berlin Blue or Prussian blue.
00:17:29 Stephen Small
Ooh, tear down this rumor Don.
I like this. This is kind of a Berlin Wall situation.
00:17:35 Don Weinberger
Yeah, yeah. Good reference. Reagan, Berlin Wall Reference. 80s. Bring it all back to folks, right? Yep. It’s FDA approved to use for nuclear action since it binds to reactive fallout in the body. And then the exposed patients excrete it, you know, to do reach those risks of actually having nuclear fallout in your body basically, and it was used during some nuclear accidents that occurred in 1980s, was very famous. One occurred 1980s, right?
So yeah, so that was a good question. Thank you for sharing that. And if you like to have your question about this episode answered next month, please send us a message.
00:18:07 Stephen Small
Yeah. Keep sending us those questions. We’d love to answer them. We have a couple more things here, Don, I’ll let you take it away.
00:18:13 Don Weinberger
Sure. Ok. And if you liked what you’re in this episode, be sure to follow rate and review. Remember the truth where we get your podcasts. And of course, check us out at trchealthcare.com. You can also help grow our show by telling your friend about the awesome things you’ve learned about and where you found us.
00:18:28 Stephen Small
Yeah, take a look at the show notes or description we’ve linked directly to some of the great resources we mentioned today all throughout the episode, like our article in our June 2025 issues. Looking back at our first edition of pharmacists letter as well as all of the other clinical resources related to our vintage claims.
00:18:44 Don Weinberger
And if you honor your subscriber, don’t miss out on these resources. It would be groovy to Sign up today to stay ahead with trusted insights and tools. We are an industry-leading, non biased source of information and continuing education.
00:18:56 Stephen Small
That’s rad, Don, and as a listener to our show, you have access to a special 10% discount on a new subscription. Just use the code podcast 1025 when you check out, and if you’re a student, even better. Here you get access to a free version of pharmacists letter, so we’ve got links in the show notes that take you directly to the right places to take advantage of those awesome deals. So please go check them.
00:19:20 Don Weinberger
Also, we need your help compiling more rumors and truth to analyze send us your ideas using the contact US link at the bottom of your TRC healthcare homepage or send us a text right from the podcast show notes.
00:19:32 Stephen Small
And we know you’ve got some good ideas for us to demystify. So join us next time where we will shed light on claims behind sunscreens.
00:19:40 Don Weinberger
Yeah, this should be a fun one too, and thanks for joining us on rumor versus truth, your trusted source for facts, where we dissect the evidence behind risky rumors and reveal clinical truths. See you next time and see what I can trick Steve into wearing.
Rumor vs Truth
