Reflections on Pharmaceutical Reporting: 25 Years Ahead of the Curve

By Michael Dorausch, D.C.

As the founder of Planet Chiropractic and a long-time advocate for natural health solutions, I’ve spent decades shining a light on the intersections of healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and wellness. Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when planetC1.com was just getting off the ground, we were diving into topics that many in mainstream media shied away from. Our articles critiqued the pharmaceutical industry’s practices, from overprescription and conflicts of interest to the risks of new drugs and aggressive marketing. Fast-forward to 2026, and these issues haven’t faded – they’ve intensified! With antibiotic resistance now a global crisis causing millions of deaths annually, overprescription epidemics among seniors, and ongoing scrutiny of pharma profits amid skyrocketing costs, it’s clear we were ahead of our time. Let’s revisit ten of our earliest pieces on pharmaceuticals, summarize their key points, and draw parallels to today’s landscape. These stories weren’t just news; they were warnings that resonate louder than ever.

September 21, 1999 – Race is on to Make Drugs to Fight Super Bugs

This article highlighted the urgent race by pharma and biotech firms to develop new antibiotics against hospital “super bugs” resistant to existing treatments. We emphasized how overuse was fueling resistance, calling for alternatives beyond endless drug cycles.

Today, that race is a full-blown emergency. The World Health Organization reports antibiotic resistance rising 5-15% annually in monitored pathogens, with over 1 million deaths linked to it in 2023 alone. Globally, it’s tied to nearly 5 million deaths yearly, and projections warn of 39 million by 2050 without action. Our 1999 call for caution was prescient – resistance hasn’t slowed at all.

October 5, 2000 – Less Drugs, More Health For Seniors

We discussed the dangers of overprescribing to the elderly, including psychotropic drugs, and advocated for non-drug alternatives like chiropractic care to reduce dependency and side effects.

In 2026, seniors remain overmedicated: One in six Medicare enrollees takes eight or more prescriptions, risking interactions and harm. Polypharmacy affects over 40% of older adults, tripling since two decades ago, leading to falls, confusion, and billions in costs. Our push for fewer drugs long predates Healthy People 2030 goals to cut inappropriate prescribing from 15.9% to 11%.

October 11, 2000 – Drugs and Flying Pigs

Drawing from a USA Today report, we exposed how over 50% of “independent” drug experts had financial ties to pharma companies, questioning their impartiality in approvals and recommendations.

Conflicts persist today: Industry funding biases trials, with sponsored studies 30% more likely to favor the sponsor. In highly cited trials, 68% have industry funding, and 89% of those reach pro-sponsor conclusions. Physician-pharma interactions still raise ethical flags, with no strict regulations to curb them. We flagged this early, and it’s now a core issue in antitrust probes and WHO guidelines.

March 8, 2001 – Pre-Framing Subluxation

While focusing on chiropractic education, we critiqued “useless” prescription allergy meds like Claritin, Allegra, and Zyrtec, contrasting them with natural approaches and highlighting pharma’s profit-driven hype.

Allergy drugs remain big business, but scrutiny grows. Today’s pharma faces similar criticisms, with new approvals often showing more side effects than older drugs. Fast-tracked drugs see 1,722 more serious adverse events yearly. Our skepticism aligns with current warnings on overmedication and the need for deprescribing in older adults.

March 13, 2001 – Which Planet Do You Prefer?

We covered the closure of online pharmacy PlanetRx, sponsored by drug makers like Warner-Lambert, pointing to conflicts in e-commerce and biased info provision.

Online pharmacies are booming but fraught with issues: 66% of Americans see them as risky, with illegal sales and fake drugs being rampant. FDA warnings target unsafe sites, and quick-commerce deliveries raise concerns over rapid prescriptions and antibiotic access, which could lead to further antibiotic abuse.

November 25, 2001 – Drugs Direct to You

This piece examined how direct-to-consumer (DTC) ads for drugs like Prilosec and Lipitor drove nearly half the U.S. prescription spending increase from 1999-2000.

DTC ads are under fire in 2026: FDA crackdowns target deceptive marketing, with spending up 30% in Q1 2025 alone. Critics argue they lead to overuse, and the entire legacy media is now bought and paid for by Big Pharma.

May 1, 2002 – Drug Risks Are Increasing

Reviewing a JAMA study, we noted new drugs cause more harmful side effects than older ones, based on 25 years of data.

As an example: Certain drugs for weight loss report nausea in 50% and diarrhea in 33% of users. FDA evaluates suicidal risks in diabetes drugs, and black box warnings evolve for HRT and others. Our data-driven critique foresaw today’s adverse event surges.

June 6, 2002 – What Alan Alda Does Not Know

Defending chiropractic, we critiqued pharma-funded studies that bias results or ignore side effects. Bias is rampant: Industry-funded trials favor sponsors 89% of the time, with ghost management inflating efficacy. Psychiatric drugs show 50% more efficacy in sponsored trials. We called out manipulation early; now, it’s a meta-research staple.

April 27, 2003 – Selling Drugs is Good Business

We discussed pharma’s profitability amid scrutiny, referencing a New York Times piece on industry examination during boom times.

Profits continue to soar in 2026, but the industry faces intensifying backlash for its corrupt practices, including price gouging, kickbacks, and fraudulent claims that led to a record $6.8 billion in False Claims Act recoveries by the DOJ in 2025 alone. Scandals abound, from opioid distribution schemes where wholesalers like Atlantic Biologicals profited millions by supplying pill mills, to massive fraud in Medicare Advantage plans and kickbacks via speaker programs, as seen in Gilead’s $176 million settlement for inducing prescriptions through lavish perks.

Big Pharma’s grip on legacy media exacerbates this, with over $7 billion spent on TV ads in 2025, allowing them to sidestep regulations on social media and influencers to push high-priced drugs without full risk disclosures.

Visionaries like HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are fighting back, overhauling corrupt vaccine schedules, and promoting transparent, patient-first policies to dismantle Big Pharma’s racket. Our 2003 insight into “good business” parallels today’s corrupt empire, proving the need for accountability over unchecked greed.

Looking back from 2026, these PlanetC1 articles weren’t just commentary – they were foresight. We challenged Big Pharma’s grip when few did, advocating for transparency, alternatives, and patient safety. Today, with AMR a macroeconomic threat costing trillions and overmedication a hidden crisis, our work proves the value of independent voices. Let’s keep pushing for health over hype.