Trump Drug Strategy Clashes With New Funding Policies
Trump administration’s drug strategy is at odds with recent actions on funding, policy https://t.co/UDiuVnEMDZ via @statnews
Parents Refusing Newborn Vitamin K Cause Fatal Bleeding
Babies Are Bleeding to Death as Parents Reject a Vitamin Shot Given at Birth https://t.co/M8iRheTRCj
Dark Proteome Research Redefines Human Disease Understanding
This, from @MeganMolteni, is frickin' cool. "How a global effort to explore the ‘dark proteome’ is upending our understanding of human disease." I remember when everyone was shocked that there were only 30,000 protein-coding genes found by the Human Genome Project. This...
Gene Therapy Field Focused on FDA Shifts in Rome
Even at a meeting in Rome, FDA shifts are top of mind for gene therapy field https://t.co/J9WXJqzqTY via @statnews
Lawmaker Blames AMA Billing Codes in Fraud Fight
Top lawmaker takes aim at doctor lobby, linking AMA’s billing codes to fraud fight https://t.co/cgDIvQHPti via @statnews
Reflecting on Craig Venter’s Pioneering Genome Era
I enjoyed this remembrance of Craig Venter and the early days of the genome project by @StevenSalzberg1. https://t.co/ggzbrvWlAk
Don't Let One Hero Eclipse Other Scientific Pioneers
Beware the lure of the romantic main character. Jim Allison is awesome. But don't forget Tasuku Honjo. https://t.co/C4hUtqv7uW
Trump Replaces Surgeon General Pick with Radiologist Nicole Saphier
Trump drops Casey Means as surgeon general nominee, opts for radiologist Nicole Saphier https://t.co/mvCUOymapm via @statnews
Google Exec Argues Safer LLMs, Not Bans, Aid Mental Health
Google executive defends potential of LLMs for mental health. “It can seem sometimes like shutting something down is a way of preventing harm,” Megan Jones Bell told STAT. “We believe that making our product experience safer and more helpful and...
Take a Breath, Read This Crucial Story Carefully
A LOT of people I know should take a deep breath and then, carefully and slowly, read this @HelenBranswell story. https://t.co/IRb1rO6MCd
Acting AG’s Doctor Wife Joins NIH Advisory Council
Doctor, wife of acting U.S. attorney general appointed to NIH advisory council https://t.co/xWTc80aSph via @statnews
Guest Editors Turning Journals Into Playgrounds of Bad Science
Growing use of guest editors has turned some journals into a ‘playground of bad science’ https://t.co/vkS8OED5Ba
Inside the $3.25B Eli Lilly Acquisition: Memo and Deck
Read the memo and slide deck that led to th creation of the company Eli Lilly bought for $3.25 billion today https://t.co/cNoTs7M4YM
Hassan Predicted Sugammad
Also, after all these years and all the FDA delays, Fred Hassan was right about sugammadex... except it took a really long time. (This is a pharma deep cut, links in the comments.)
STAT's Live AACR Coverage: Newsletter, Event, Recap
A heads up: starting Sunday, and through the beginning of next week, STAT is going to be taking the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research by storm. This is one of the best venues for spotting new ideas...
Pancreatic Cancer Study May Usher New Treatment Era
A pancreatic cancer expert on why Revolution Medicines’ study could ‘open up a new era’ of treatment https://t.co/npSBO8iR7n via @statnews
Kennedy Misstates Danish Tylenol Data, Ignoring Prescription Surge
This appears to be a case of Secretary Kennedy speaking without having full command of the facts. He calls the Danish study that "garbage" because it tracked whether women got Tylenol by whether they were prescribed it -- but he...
Flawed Study Groups Failed and Successful Alzheimer Drugs Together
This new analysis of Alzheimer's drugs is such a good example of why we can't make any headway as a society. There is probably a good debate to be had on whether the risks and costs of the two approved beta...
Scientists Propose Abandoning GLP‑1 as Obesity Target
Researchers behind GLP-1 obesity drugs advance new approach: Drop GLP-1 as a target https://t.co/ADzYb2Zqal via @statnews
Personal Loss Exposes Danger of Dismissing Cancer Breakthroughs
Hype is bad. That includes calling an unprecedented advance in cancer treatment hype when it is not. Don’t think about the knee jerk comment this tweet is replying to. Think about this man’s wife getting three vacations.
CDC Vaccine Panel Rules Target Lawsuit, Boost Kennedy Allies
New rules for CDC vaccine panel aim to address lawsuit, empower Kennedy’s allies https://t.co/miSg4oOYSu via @statnews
Controversial Drugs Once Feared, Now Offer Hope
A decade ago, these drugs tore apart the FDA. Today, they might be some patients’ best hope Another wonderful piece from @Jasonmmast https://t.co/zOvLrdAPKi via @statnews
Bad Peptide Manufacturing, Not the Peptides, Drives Danger
Just because peptides are manufactured badly and contain toxins does not mean that they will be safe and effective if manufactured well. Seriously, just eat whole foods, exercise, and maybe take a damn statin.
UnitedHealth's $3 B AI Bet Promises Patient Benefits
UnitedHealth Group + AI +Polk winner @caseymross = A must read. $UNH is making a $3 billion bet on AI. What does it mean for patients? https://t.co/irkyZi8Wj6
Trump Proposes $5 B NIH Cut; Congress Unlikely to Approve
NIH would get $5 billion cut under Trump’s 2027 budget, but Congress unlikely to go along https://t.co/PPQbrSBwi0 via @statnews
Evidence‑Heavy Statins Still Outpace Unproven Peptides
There is a fascinating op-ed piece in STAT from a doctor whose patient rejected a statin -- one of the most tested drug classes in existence -- but chose to take an untested peptide for cardiovascular risk. "My patient is intelligent,...
HHS Transfers Missed the Mark for IHS Staffing
HHS Officials’ Year in Purgatory Is Ending The Indian Health Service needs more clinical workers. The federal health officials being transferred to the agency don’t fit that bill. @KatherineJWu reports: https://t.co/kb9mVkY3S7
Elaine Chen Showcases Biotech Deals and Mind‑bending Insights
I'd like to draw your attention to my fantastic @statnews colleague @elaineywchen. She led the way our obesity drug coverage, is a host on our podcast, and writes our biotech newsletter most days. Today has two big examples of the...
US VCs Embed in Chinese Labs, Courting Scientists Early
U.S. venture capital firms are no longer waiting for Chinese biotech assets to surface before investing in them — they’re moving upstream, embedding themselves inside labs and courting scientists before they publish their research https://t.co/7kOlGh0sbu
Tech Experts Overestimate Their Grasp of Cancer Biology
As someone who has covered cancer drug development for 25 years, one of the few things I am sure of is that the odds of technology folks thinking they understand biology are much higher than the odds they actually do.
NIH Foreign‑collab Restrictions Affect 25% of U.S. Scientists
Survey shows the NIH's restrictions on foreign research partnerships significantly impacted 1 in 4 U.S. scientists https://t.co/YVbTQ4tveG
Remembering Tracy Kidder: ‘Soul’ Inspiration and Paul Farmer Profile
A legend. ‘Soul’ meant everything to me as a young journalist, but it’s his book-length profile of Paul Farmer that I love most, even with its flaws. Tracy Kidder, Author of ‘The Soul of a New Machine,’ Dies at 80 ...
Summit Sparks Breakthroughs: AI, Gene Therapy, CRISPR, mRNA
One thing that really makes the in-person summits we run at STAT so amazing: the people in the room. Here's what happened when we asked some of them for the last big breakthrough they saw. Featuring: the infectious @DrBlytheAdamson, genomcis pioneer...
Stat News Sweeps SABEW Awards, Wins General Excellence
The SABEW "Best in Business" journalism awards just dropped. @statnews won for general excellence. @Jasonmmast won in the health/science category. @bobjherman won for best newsletters. Full list here: https://t.co/Nx9q71CLnP To my colleagues: https://t.co/aFDUhKyRFE
Merck Spends $6.7B on CML Drug Despite Gleevec Era
It's amazing that 25 years after Gleevec we are still watching drug companies pay billions for new drugs for CML. And that, in Adam's previous story, a once deadly cancer was referred to as a chronic disease. Anyway, $MRK buys $TERN...
FDA OKs Fecal Transplants, Yet Access Declines
Paradox: The FDA approved some fecal transplants for C. difficile. But accessing treatment got harder. https://t.co/AFFyCGPeKW
Lyme Vaccine Hits 70% Efficacy, Misses Confidence Threshold
The $PFE/ $VALN Lyme vaccine was a product for which there was a lot of hope. Results today show OK efficacy. Vaccine efficacy landed at 70%; investors hoped for 80% but thought as low as 60% would be relevant. But the...
Child's C. Diff Cure Required a Grueling Fecal Transplant Journey
Her son needed a fecal transplant for a fearsome C. diff infection. Getting one required a tortuous journey https://t.co/Ln54u1iTPV via @statnews
Pfizer Lyme Vaccine Effective yet Misses Crucial Statistical Benchmark
Pfizer’s Lyme vaccine shows efficacy, but misses key statistical hurdle There is a set up for drama here. $Valn $pfe Valneva stock is down 14% in premarket trading. https://t.co/WN0KOl4Nqh via @statnews
Blueprint for Building a $15B J&J Acquisition Target
How do you build a company that $JNJ will buy for $15 billion? Listen here.
Inside the CDC Director Search: Leadership Insights
If you care about the future of the CDC or public health, you need to read this piece and watch this video on how leadership is thinking about the search for a new director. Definitely watch the 10 minute video in...
Former FDA Chief Warns Political Pressure Plagued Trump Era
Political influence ‘a serious problem’ for FDA under Trump, former commissioner says https://t.co/52IR3LfECD via @statnews
Gene Therapy Delivers Real Results Amid Hype
Katrine Bosley: There's no question “hopes and aspirations” got ahead of the pace of any new science on gene editing #STATBreakthrough Seng Cheng: “The promise of gene therapy is correct. I think it has made that promise. and that's demonstrated by...
Early Experiments May Mislead; Models Need Validation
Jane Grogan from $BIIB again, on the fundamental challenge of drug discovery: do you believe what early experiments tell you? "We need to understand when [models] can be predictive and when they help at answering our hypothesis... “If you...
China Produces Triple U.S. PhDs, Boosting Biotech Innovation
$BIIB’s Jane Grogan on the impact of China on biotech innovation. “There's three times more PhDs that have been given last year in China than in the US. ... That's a lot of bright young things out there who are going...
Breakthroughs Take Years, Then Appear Overnight
$BMY chief scientist Robert Plenge: says there is “a joke” drug developers often repeat. “It's an overnight sensation a decade in the making. These things can actually be going on for a very long time, and then suddenly the field catches...
Profiting From Out‑of‑Network Bills, and the Fury It Sparks
How to get rich on out-of-network medical bills -- and how to get angry reading about it. By @TaraBannow https://t.co/fbmFyZhcic
Biology Leaders Tackle Alzheimer Research Reproducibility Crisis
For decades, they’ve set the record straight in biology. Next up: science’s reproducibility crisis A new coalition of biology grand challenge organizers will assess Alzheimer’s literature https://t.co/nLX1g0EEcB
Paralysis Patients Type Using Brain‑computer Interface
A brain-computer interface allowed people with paralysis to type with their minds https://t.co/W5icU6ye8c via @statnews
Judge Stalls Kennedy Childhood Vaccine Overhaul Meeting
Kennedy childhood vaccine overhaul stalled by judge The next meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices was scheduled for this week, but has been postponed due to the ruling https://t.co/0cUIXEVgyV