<![CDATA[Dramaceuticals]]>Dramaceuticals is the podcast by RubyDuke, keeping your finger on the pulse of medcomms, pharma and healthcare - the big ideas, the hot topics, and everything in between.

Hosted by people who work in the industry, Dramaceuticals takes a curious, candid and occasionally irreverent look at the science, stories and strange moments shaping our world.

From emerging research and breakthrough treatments to the latest developments in AI, we dig into the stories making headlines and ask what they actually mean for healthcare, pharma and the people working within them. Expect conversations that move from the genuinely fascinating to the slightly ridiculous - often sometimes within the space of a few minutes.

]]>https://www.rubyduke.co.uk/Riverside.fm (https://riverside.com)Fri, 14 Aug 2026 17:29:10 GMTFri, 07 Aug 2026 08:27:04 GMT60RubyDuke Communications<p><b>Dramaceuticals</b> is the podcast by RubyDuke, keeping your finger on the pulse of medcomms, pharma and healthcare - the big ideas, the hot topics, and everything in between.<br /></p><p>Hosted by people who work in the industry, Dramaceuticals takes a curious, candid and occasionally irreverent look at the science, stories and strange moments shaping our world.</p><p></p><p>From emerging research and breakthrough treatments to the latest developments in AI, we dig into the stories making headlines and ask what they actually mean for healthcare, pharma and the people working within them. Expect conversations that move from the genuinely fascinating to the slightly ridiculous - often sometimes within the space of a few minutes.</p>episodicRubyDuke Communicationssam@rubyduke.co.ukno<![CDATA[Ep.01: Viruses, monsters and headbutts]]>Computer-generated viruses, the lizard behind the GLP-1 revolution, accidentally headbutting a pharma client, truly terrible copywriting, and the tell-tale signs of AI-written content.

In the first episode of Dramaceuticals, Joe and Sam unpack the science, stories and absurdities catching their attention across pharma, medcomms and healthcare - with a few questionable tangents along the way.

We are RubyDuke.co.uk
Freelance medical writers who transform science into storytelling.
We provide a reliable, brilliant, and expectation-exceeding medical writing service that you can trust.

References:

On GLP-1s

On novel first lines:

On AI:

Acronym Assassin

  • GLP-1: A naturally occurring hormone involved in blood sugar control and appetite. It’s also the basis for a major new class of diabetes and weight-loss drugs.
  • LLM (Large Language Model): The type of AI behind tools like ChatGPT, trained on huge amounts of text to predict and generate language.
  • Bacteriophage (phage): A virus that infects bacteria rather than humans. Researchers are exploring their potential to tackle antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
  • Antimicrobial resistance (AMR): When microbes evolve to resist medicines designed to kill them, making infections harder to treat.
  • DPP-4: An enzyme that rapidly breaks down GLP-1 in the body.
  • Exendin-4: A peptide discovered in Gila monster saliva with similarities to GLP-1, which helped pave the way for GLP-1-based medicines.
  • Semaglutide: A GLP-1-based medicine used in diabetes and weight management.
  • Meta-analysis: Research that combines results from multiple studies to estimate the overall evidence on a question.
]]>13c4604d-a48d-47e0-b433-f3253c942506Mon, 10 Aug 2026 14:16:44 GMT<p>Computer-generated viruses, the lizard behind the GLP-1 revolution, accidentally headbutting a pharma client, truly terrible copywriting, and the tell-tale signs of AI-written content.<br /></p><p>In the first episode of <b>Dramaceuticals</b>, Joe and Sam unpack the science, stories and absurdities catching their attention across pharma, medcomms and healthcare - with a few questionable tangents along the way.<br /></p><p>We are <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://RubyDuke.co.uk" target="_blank">RubyDuke.co.uk</a> <br />Freelance medical writers who transform science into storytelling.<br />We provide a reliable, brilliant, and expectation-exceeding medical writing service that you can trust. <br /><br /><b>References:</b></p><p></p><p><b>On GLP-1s</b></p><ul><li><b>Deane AM, et al.</b> Crit Care. 2010;14(5):1004. Available at: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3219279/" target="_blank">https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3219279/</a></li><li><b>Bolt Pharmacy.</b> Gila Monster Venom and GLP-1: From Discovery to Diabetes Treatment. Available at: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.boltpharmacy.co.uk/guide/gila-monster-venom-and-glp-1" target="_blank">https://www.boltpharmacy.co.uk/guide/gila-monster-venom-and-glp-1</a></li><li><b>Budini B, </b>et al. eClinicalMedicine, 2026;93:103796. Available at: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(26)00043-X/fulltext" target="_blank">https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(26)00043-X/fulltext</a></li></ul><p></p><p><b>On novel first lines:</b></p><ul><li><b>Lyttle Lytton contest.</b> Available at: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://adamcadre.ac/lyttle/2026.html" target="_blank">https://adamcadre.ac/lyttle/2026.html</a> and <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.bulwer-lytton.com/" target="_blank">https://www.bulwer-lytton.com/</a></li></ul><p></p><p><b>On AI:</b></p><ul><li><b>College Professor Catches 32 Students Using AI With Hidden White Text Prompt</b>. Available at: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/college-professor-catches-32-cheating-162211168.html" target="_blank">https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/college-professor-catches-32-cheating-162211168.html</a></li></ul><p></p><p><b>Acronym Assassin</b></p><ul><li><b>GLP-1</b>: A naturally occurring hormone involved in blood sugar control and appetite. It’s also the basis for a major new class of diabetes and weight-loss drugs.</li><li><b>LLM (Large Language Model)</b>: The type of AI behind tools like ChatGPT, trained on huge amounts of text to predict and generate language.</li><li><b>Bacteriophage (phage)</b>: A virus that infects bacteria rather than humans. Researchers are exploring their potential to tackle antibiotic-resistant bacteria.</li><li><b>Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)</b>: When microbes evolve to resist medicines designed to kill them, making infections harder to treat.</li><li><b>DPP-4</b>: An enzyme that rapidly breaks down GLP-1 in the body.</li><li><b>Exendin-4:</b> A peptide discovered in Gila monster saliva with similarities to GLP-1, which helped pave the way for GLP-1-based medicines.</li><li><b>Semaglutide</b>: A GLP-1-based medicine used in diabetes and weight management.</li><li><b>Meta-analysis</b>: Research that combines results from multiple studies to estimate the overall evidence on a question.</li></ul>no00:38:5111Ep.01: Viruses, monsters and headbuttsfull