Adam, Allison, and Elaine get into the Halloween spirit this week, discussing their favorite candies — and Eli Lilly and Pfizer's surprise earnings reports. Then, they discuss what a Trump or Harris presidency could mean for health care and the biopharma industry, and what investors and biopharma executives think about either outcome.
Will an activist investor campaign against Pfizer lead to big changes at the struggling Pharma giant? Why are some experts questioning the regulatory standards used to approve gene therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy? What’s the difference between Novo Holdings and Novo Nordisk, and will it impact a $16 billion acquisition of Catalent? And what lies ahead for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Make America Healthy Again movement?
Elaine, Allison, and Adam chat about investors' interest in using CAR-T to treat autoimmune conditions, the latest developments with the supply of Eli Lilly’s blockbuster weight loss drug, and the invisible medical groups behind the dozens of telehealth platforms providing GLP-1 drugs. They also look back at STAT's two-day summit that brought together biopharma executives, scientists, policymakers and patient advocates for conversations about the future of health care.
First, biotech veteran John Maraganore calls in to discuss his new startup, City Therapeutics, this week's Nobel Prize awards, and the nerdy accolade he just received. Then STAT's Megan Molteni tells us about "CRISPR baby" scientist He Jiankui and his new cryptocurrency financier.
Our colleague Mohana Ravindranath joins us to talk about Micky Tripathi, charged with coordinating how AI is used across different government agencies and more broadly across the health care industry. We also chat about some important biotech study readouts due before the end of the year, a new, well-funded obesity company, and the successful serial CEO running it. Finally, Adam and Allison lament the fact that Elaine hasn't yet watched the first episode of this season's "Great British Baking Sh...
We’re excited to share the first episode in a new podcast series on generic drugs from Tradeoffs. It’s called ‘Race to the Bottom,’ and each week the show examines the problems undermining the generic drugs we all rely on — and how we could fix them. Take a listen, and we’ll see you next week.
Our colleague Jonathan Wosen joins us to discuss the recent setbacks and wins in oncology R&D, including Genentech's decision to shut down its cancer immunology group, and the global ambitions of Akeso, the Chinese biotech behind Summit Therapeutics’ recent positive results. We also chat about the latest news in the life sciences, including Pfizer’s sudden announcement to pull its sickle cell drug and the imminent approval of Bristol Myers Squibb’s schizophrenia treatment.
Mizuho analyst Jared Holz joins us to discuss what the Federal Reserve's long-awaited decision to lower interest rates means for biotech stocks and startups. Elaine, Adam, and Allison also discuss the latest news in life sciences, including the use of cannabinoid receptor drugs in weight loss and the Lasker Awards, a.k.a. "America's Nobel."
STAT reporter Matt Herper joins us to break down all the angles of this week's tumultuous week in cancer immunotherapy, including his up-close look at Summit co-CEO Bob Duggan. We also discuss the latest news in the life sciences, including Moderna pruning its pipeline and its spending, plus results from a study that tested a GLP-1 drug in children.
We discuss the next big trend in obesity drug development — treatments that target the amylin hormone. Companies argue that these types of drugs could lead to less nausea and muscle loss, and the first big readout is coming later this year. We also chat about an upcoming presentation from Summit Therapeutics on its cancer drug that beat Merck’s Keytruda, mixed data from Recursion’s lead AI-derived drug candidate, and more news in the life sciences.
STAT biotech reporter Jonathan Wosen joins us to discuss gene therapy pioneer Jim Wilson's exit from his decades-long tenure at the University of Pennsylvania. We also discuss the latest news in the life sciences, including the surprising collapse of a gene editing company, Eli Lilly's pitch to consumers, and more.
This week, STAT's Casey Ross and Bob Herman joined the Boston Globe's "Say More" podcast to talk about their reporting on AI and Healthcare. We're sharing that episode here with you now. Enjoy!
It's a guest-free episode this week, giving Allison, Adam and Elaine ample time to chat about the management shakeup at BioMarin, including the announcement that James Sabry, the former Roche dealmaker, was joining the company as its new chief business officer. We can't seem to go a week without talking about GLP-1 medicines, so in true form, Elaine walks us through new study findings that showed Lilly's Zepbound greatly reduced the risk of diabetes. We also discuss a separate study that potenti...
STAT’s chief Washington correspondent Rachel Cohrs Zhang joins us to discuss the discounts and how this first round of negotiations between pharmaceutical companies and Medicare officials played out. After that, we chat with our colleague Meghana Keshavan about the latest news in the psychedelics world, including the retraction of three research papers.
STAT's Washington Correspondent John Wilkerson joins us to discuss the first round of drug pricing negotiations under the Inflation Reduction Act, which will wrap up by September 1. We also cover the latest news in the life sciences including the merger of AI drug development companies Recursion Pharmaceuticals and Exscientia, Novo Nordisk's decision to pause its regulatory submission for Wegovy's use in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, and the state of biotech VC.
Andrew Joseph, STAT's Europe correspondent, joins us to talk about his special report on the 40-year quest to develop the world's first malaria vaccines. We also cover the latest news in the biotech industry, including Sarepta Therapeutics' move to censor a patient video, data from a new Duchenne gene therapy, and a campaign by Mount Sinai to stifle debate about its controversial brain research following revelations made by a STAT investigation.
What makes UnitedHealth similar to Standard Oil? Is Viking Therapeutics an attractive acquisition target? And is Adam good at math? We discuss all that and more in this week’s episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s biotech podcast. Tara Bannow, our hospitals and insurance reporter, joins us to talk about a new investigation that shows how UnitedHealth wields its unrivaled physician empire to boost its profits and expand its influence. We also cover the latest news in the life sciences, including ...
Our Washington correspondent Sarah Owermohle joins us to talk about how JD Vance, Donald Trump's newly announced running mate, could influence health policy if Trump wins the election. We also discuss the latest news in the biopharma industry, including the latest developments in the ongoing controversy surrounding Cassava’s Alzheimer’s drug, shortages of insulin as Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly turn their focus toward GLP-1 drugs, and a shakeup in leadership at Gilead.
STAT's West Coast biotech reporter Jonathan Wosen joins "The Readout LOUD" to discuss what’s driving workforce cuts. Plus, entrepreneurs Alexis Borisy and Zach Weinberg call in to discuss their biotech incubator Curie.Bio and how they hope to “free the founders.” We also discuss a big change in Pfizer’s leadership and the debate over a new side effect tied to the diabetes drug Ozempic.
STAT health tech reporter Brittany Trang guest co-hosts "The Readout LOUD" this week, where we discuss AI for drug development, the latest in the H5N1 bird flu outbreak, a surprise entrant to the GLP-1 field, and more news in the life sciences. And STAT chief Washington correspondent Rachel Cohrs Zhang joins the podcast to talk about a new proposal for obesity drug coverage in Washington and what to expect from the first presidential debate.
STAT reporter Jason Mast joins us to discuss Anthony Fauci's memoir "On Call," which was published this week. Hosts Allison DeAngelis and Adam Feuerstein also dissect Alnylam's forthcoming clinical trial data and take stock of how the biotech markets are succeeding and potentially falling flat midway through the year. For more on Fauci's memoir "On Call," go here; for Adam's primer on Alnylam's ATTR-CM trial, go here; read about BridgeBio's plans here; and for more on biotech startup financing, ...
STAT's Nicholas Florko joins to explain what it means to be a reporter writing about the commercial determinants of health. Hint: Florko's most recent stories focus on weed, vapes, and raw milk. And instead of being chained to a desk, he often drives around to convenience stores and buy bad stuff — all in the name of good journalism. But first, co-hosts Adam Feuerstein and Allison DeAngelis chat about Pfizer's Duchenne gene therapy setback, the likely approval of a new treatment for Alzheimer's ...
STAT colleague Meghana Keshavan joins us to dissect Lykos Therapeutics' meeting with an FDA advisory committee. We also discuss the latest news in the health and life sciences, including stories from major biotech conferences. To learn more about Lykos' advisory committee meeting, go here; for more on the tumult at BIO, go here; for a recap of ASCO, go here; to read the latest on Novartis' acquisition of MorphoSys, go here. And you can sign up for Adam’s new newsletter, Biotech Scorecard, here.
We preview some of the research that will be presented at The American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago. We also discuss the latest news in the health and life sciences, including a milestone in lung disease R&D and a Duchenne muscular dystrophy confirmatory trial failure. To read more about Merus' combination therapy, go here; For more on Johnson & Johnson's mixed data, click here; For more on Nippon Shinyaku's Duchenne drug trial failure, go here; To read more on Insm...
This week on “The Readout LOUD,” STAT's Chief Washington Correspondent Rachel Cohrs Zhang joins us to discuss the layoffs at trade group BIO and how things may be changing at the trade group. We also invite STAT reporter Eric Boodman on to talk about his new investigative series of stories exploring how Black women with sickle cell disease were coerced into getting sterilized.
On this week’s "Readout LOUD," we’re live in San Francisco at STAT’s Breakthrough Summit West. AI is a big theme this year, everywhere, so on that note, we chat with our AI correspondent — and recent Pulitzer finalist — Casey Ross, who sat down on stage to discuss AI-centered drug discovery with both NVIDIA and Google-backed Isomorphic Labs. We also discuss this week’s biotech news, including yet more obesity drug data, this time from Roche, and the closing of Novartis’ acquisition of MorphoSys.
This week on "The Readout LOUD," STAT senior infectious diseases reporter Helen Branswell walks us through ongoing H5N1 outbreak in the U.S. and issues with monitoring the spread. And in a bit of shameless self-promotion, we’ll talk to our colleagues Bob Herman and Casey Ross about being named Pulitzer finalists in investigative reporting for their reporting on United Healthcare’s use of algorithms in coverage decisions. We'll hear what’s happened since their explosive work was published last ye...
The removal of small amounts of brain tissue from desperately ill patients, done as part of a Mount Sinai research project, triggered alarm bells at the Food and Drug Administration and has raised broader questions about the scientific and ethical justification for live-brain research. Journalist and STAT contributor Katherine Eban joins “The Readout LOUD” podcast to discuss the results of a two-year investigation. We also discuss Novartis’ effort to acquire MorphoSys, and the latest news on Eli...
We bring on biotech veteran Clive Meanwell to discuss his new obesity startup, Metsera, and running head-to-head trials against Wegovy and Zepbound. We also dissect how Teledoc CEO Jason Gorevic parted ways with the company after spending 15 years building the telemedicine field. Here's where you can subscribe to our biotech newsletter, The Readout. And here's where you can subscribe to our newsletter on the business (and secretive inner workings) of the U.S. health care industry, Health Care In...
How would you spend $13 billion in cash? Is biotech stale? And remember Dendreon? We cover all that and more this week on “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s biotech podcast. We discuss a multibillion-dollar deal from Vertex Pharmaceuticals with sweeping implications and a lengthy backstory. We also explain why gas prices are weighing on biotech, and make a surprise announcement.
