Legal Challenge Mounts Against ABC’s ‘Dr. Odyssey’ Over Covid Drug Promotion
A coalition of 100 attorneys is challenging the portrayal of pharmaceutical interventions on the ABC television show “Dr. Odyssey,” alleging the program irresponsibly promotes remdesivir, Paxlovid, and Covid booster shots to the public.
A New York-based attorney, Jamie Scher, is spearheading the legal effort, accusing the show of potentially misleading viewers and influencing medical decisions. The group’s concerns, initially reported by BrokenTruth on July 8, 2025, center on the show’s depiction of these treatments without adequate disclosure of risks or potential conflicts of interest.
Scher reportedly “galvanized efforts to hold media accountable for influencing public health decisions” during a speech at the Thrive in 25 conference in West Palm Beach, Florida, on June 28, 2025. She specifically criticized “Dr. Odyssey” for presenting remdesivir as a life-saving drug, warning that such portrayals could lead patients to accept the medication without fully understanding its potential side effects.
“You don’t even realize that you’re watching the show,” Scher explained, suggesting that viewers unfamiliar with the drug might be reassured by its depiction on television when offered it by healthcare providers. This subtle endorsement, she argues, undermines informed consent.
The attorneys’ concerns focus on episode 12 of “Dr. Odyssey,” which features a ship’s doctor mandating booster shots for the crew – described as operating in a “petri dish” environment – a pregnant character preparing to receive a booster, and the promotion of Paxlovid for Covid-19 infections. According to Scher, these scenes normalize potentially controversial treatments, particularly for vulnerable populations, without acknowledging associated risks or disclosing any potential pharmaceutical sponsorships.
Scher’s group has already dispatched two demand letters to ABC and its parent company, Disney, regarding the show’s content. The first letter alleges that “Dr. Odyssey” promotes remdesivir as both safe and effective, citing a scene where a character claims the drug saved their life. The letter points to the drug’s controversial history, including reported risks of kidney and liver damage, as justification for the demand. Scher has called on ABC to replace real drug names with fictional alternatives and to include clear disclaimers stating the show’s fictional nature.
However, ABC and Disney reportedly dismissed the initial letter, asserting that Scher lacked legal standing because no direct harm had been demonstrated and maintaining that “Dr. Odyssey” is a work of fiction. Scher described the response as dismissive, stating, “let’s agree to disagree.”
Following the episode’s promotion of booster shots and Paxlovid, Scher sent a second letter, accusing ABC of “misleading and deceptive advertising” by presenting these treatments as safe without sufficient scientific backing or risk disclosure. This letter specifically highlights the potential risk to pregnant women depicted in the episode and demands that ABC cease these portrayals, add disclaimers, and issue a public statement clarifying the fictional nature of the medical advice.
The demand letters are publicly available for review at MyerandScher.com.
This legal challenge raises critical questions about the responsibility of entertainment media in shaping public health perceptions and the potential consequences of portraying medical treatments without comprehensive context. The outcome of this dispute could set a precedent for how television shows address sensitive medical topics in the future.
