About this episode
It regulates 20 percent of the U.S. economy, and its commissioner has an aggressive agenda — faster drug approvals, healthier food, cures for diabetes and cancer. How much can he deliver? (Part two of “ The Freakonomics Radio Guide to Getting Better .”) SOURCES: Marty Makary , commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. RESOURCES: " Clinical Trials Affected by Research Grant Terminations at the National Institutes of Health ," by Vishal Patel, Michael Liu, and Anupam Jena (JAMA Internal Medicine, 2025). " What the evidence tells us about Tylenol, leucovorin, and autism ," by Matthew Herper (STAT, 2025). " I Run the F.D.A. Pharma Ads Are Hurting Americans ." by Marty Makary (New York Times, 2025). Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets It Wrong, and What It Means for Our Health , by Marty Makary (2024). EXTRAS: " Are You Really Allergic to Penicillin? " by Freakonomics Radio (2025). " How to Fix the Hot Mess of U.S. Healthcare ," by Freakonomics Radio (2021). " Bad Medicine, Part 3: Death by Diagnosis ," by Freakonomics Radio (2016). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.