Postdoctoral fellow Stuart Henderson's book examines the hip scene in 1960s Yorkville

How is "hip" constructed? Is a culture of dissent ultimately a by-product of prevailing sociopolitical forces? Do countercultural events influence mainstream society? Those questions and more are at the core of Making the Scene: Yorkville and Hip Toronto in the 1960s, a new book by York postdoctoral fellow Stuart Henderson published this month by the University of Toronto Press. The […]

York University becomes 17th member of MaRS Innovation

York University has become the latest member of MaRS Innovation, the commercialization agent for many leading Toronto-based universities, hospitals and research institutes. “York has become one of Canada’s fastest-growing centres for research and innovation,” said Stan Shapson (right), vice-president research & innovation at York University. “We typically get 10 to 20 discovery disclosures a year. […]

Professor Chun Peng leads research team uncovering how ovarian cancer resists chemotherapy

York University researchers have zeroed in on a genetic process that may allow ovarian cancer to resist chemotherapy. Researchers in the University’s Faculty of Science & Engineering studied a tiny strand of our genetic makeup known as a microRNA, involved in the regulation of gene expression. Cancer occurs when gene regulation goes haywire. “Ovarian cancer […]

Professor Joel Lexchin co-authors study on free journals and costly or problematic drugs

Medical publications distributed freely to health professionals often promote drugs that are costly or have potential problems, says a new study warning that such practices could influence which drugs doctors prescribe, wrote The Globe and Mail Feb. 28: Unlike medical publications that require paid subscriptions, free journals get most or all of their funding from […]

Professor Joel Lexchin: Health Canada should beef up drug-monitoring system

Health Canada did not pull a pain drug off the market until US officials made the decision to recall it, a move sparking criticism of the government's ability to act independently to protect the safety of Canadians from potentially dangerous medications, reported The Globe and Mail Dec. 3: Health Canada and Paladin Labs Inc. announced […]

Professor Joel Lexchin's co-authored study finds doctors not immune to pharmaceutical promotion

Pharmaceutical promotion may cause doctors to prescribe more expensively, less appropriately and more often, according to a new study co-authored by physician and York Professor Joel Lexchin. The findings, published Wednesday in the journal, PLoS Medicine, offer a broad look at the relationship between doctors’ prescribing habits and their exposure to information provided by drug companies. […]

Professor Joel Lexchin's report on Health Canada's drug safety system says it favours pharmaceutical companies

Health Canada’s drug safety system favours the interests of pharmaceutical companies, according to a report that says the department needs to do more to protect Canadians, wrote Postmedia News Sept. 20: In a paper produced by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Dr. Joel Lexchin writes that while some drugs will always pose risks for […]

Professor Joel Lexchin: Some Canadian drugs are overpriced before they are patented

Canada needs a new system for controlling drug prices that does not depend on whether or not a drug has received a patent, according to an article by York Professor Dr. Joel Lexchin. Drug prices in Canada can be unregulated for years, a period during which companies may overprice the drugs and market them, says […]