The Readout Loud

STAT

STAT’s weekly biotech podcast, breaking down the latest news, digging deep into industry goings-on, and giving you a preview of the week to come.

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29 episodes
weekly
Avg 36 min
English

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Friday · 29 min
420: Democrats’ midterm victory, and a questionable fertility procedure
How will the midterm results affect drug pricing policy? What is the fate of the Food and Drug Administration? And why are women traveling to fertility clinics abroad? On this week's episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT's biotech podcast, we bring on our Washington correspondent Daniel Payne to chat about the massive midterm victory for Democrats and what it means for health and medicine. We also bring on our colleague Megan Molteni to discuss her investigation into a network of clinics that have advertised fertility success with a questionable and expensive genetic procedure.
October 30 · 20 min
419: Assessing Merck and Moderna's mRNA cancer vaccine
What is Adam doing in Spain? How did doctors react to detailed data on Merck and Moderna's mRNA cancer vaccine? And what are the next big advances in oncology? On this week's episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT's biotech podcast, we bring on our colleague Andrew Joseph to discuss the latest cancer data presented at the annual meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology. We also make an announcement about the podcast.
October 23 · 35 min
418: Remembering STAT’s Helen Branswell
Helen Branswell was a renowned infectious disease reporter who earned the respect and admiration of experts and public health officials with her authoritative, prescient reporting on the flu, polio, Ebola and the Covid-19 pandemic. This week’s episode of “The Readout LOUD” is dedicated to Helen, who died last week due to complications of cancer. We speak with her colleagues at STAT, family and public health leaders about her work and her legacy.
October 16 · 20 min
417: Hospitals' next lucrative bet — longevity clinics
Longevity medicine is now estimated to be a multitrillion dollar industry. But what are people paying for, and does it work? On this week's episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT's biotech podcast, we bring on STAT reporter Sarah Todd to discuss the booming industry of longevity health and her visit to one of the many longevity clinics popping up in major hospitals across the country.
October 8 · 33 min
416: NIH funding uncertainty thwarts U.S. researchers
How has the National Institutes of Health been spending its budget? Why are biotech investors feeling gloomy? And what is the most quintessential Boston movie? We discuss all that and more on this week’s episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s biotech podcast. We bring on STAT reporter Anil Oza and Heather Pierce, senior director of science policy at the Association of American Medical Colleges, to discuss the how the NIH distributed its money in the latest funding cycle and the effects on U.S. biomedical research. We also chat about the shuttering of a CRISPR CAR-T biotech, the Nobel Prize in medicine, and biotech investors’ current mood.
October 1 · 31 min
415: Mistrust in science and a juicy gene-editing lawsuit
On this week’s episode of "The Readout LOUD": Why have so many Americans lost trust in science? And how have our policy leaders fueled that mistrust? We speak to STAT’s new trust-in-science reporter Nicholas Florko about the impact of Americans’ growing skepticism of science. Your co-hosts also chat about a clinical update from UniQure on its gene therapy for Huntington’s disease, a juicy lawsuit filed by the gene-editing company Beam Therapeutics against a Chinese competitor, and a shift in the way pharma companies like Novo and Eli Lilly are talking about their GLP-1 products.
September 24 · 29 min
The FDA's Overton era, and dispatches from Shanghai
"The Readout LOUD" is going international this week. STAT's Jason Mast joins the podcast from Shanghai, where he's digging into what the rise of Chinese drug development means for the biotech industry. The hosts also speak to colleague Margaret Manto about Heidi Overton, the president's pick to be commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. Will the new nominee bring some needed stability or controversy to the troubled agency? For more on Overton and her views on China, go here; to read about the ITM and Telix merger, go here; you can find the latest news on osteoporosis here.
September 17 · 28 min
Definium's new psychedelics data, and a reprieve for international scientists
International researchers got a reprieve in the courts this week. But many are still considering leaving the states for opportunities elsewhere. What does that mean for the future of American medical research? We discuss that, plus the latest news in the life sciences, on this week's episode of "The Readout LOUD." STAT reporter Jonathan Wosen and Fanta Aw, the executive director of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, join the podcast to discuss a recent court decision around foreign visas for students. We also discuss the Definium's psychedelics data and what it means for that field as a whole. Be sure to sign up for “The Readout LOUD” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
September 10 · 30 min
Why two promising heart drugs flopped and what's next
On this week’s episode of “The Readout LOUD”: The pharma industry invested billions of dollars to develop drugs heralded as the next era in the treatment of heart disease — but why did they fail? And what does this mean for the development of new heart medicines moving forward? Cardiologist and biotech entrepreneur Ethan Weiss joins us to discuss the surprising failures and long-term implications of two large clinical trials involving drugs developed from Novo Nordisk and Novartis, respectively. Plus, we have a recap of biotech news we missed while on hiatus, including a spurt of FDA drug approvals and the next big thing in cancer treatment from Merck and Moderna.
July 30 · 36 min
411: Capricor's data clash and a fugitive in the C-suite
Is the Food and Drug Administration taking inconsistent approaches to Duchenne muscular dystrophy drugs? How will a new batch of drug executives shake up their companies? And why is Adam talking to a recruiter? We discuss all that and more on this week’s episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s biotech podcast. It's a big week for FDA advisory committee meetings. Allison, Elaine, and Adam discuss Capricor Therapeutics' hearing in front of an FDA advisory committee. The company is asking the agency to approve its treatment for Duchenne, but advisers have questioned the data the company presented. They also discuss Replimmune's meeting with advisers to discuss its immunotherapy for melanoma. The hosts further discuss the latest news in the life sciences, including new details on how a fugitive worked as a biotech executive, cuts at GSK, and Sarepta Therapeutics' new CEO.
July 23 · 1 hr 4 min
410: A father’s mission to save his daughter, and allegations on telehealth GLP-1 prescribing
What does it take to develop a therapy for an ultra-rare disease? What are the allegations against a telehealth company that’s partnered with Novo Nordisk? And has a wanted fugitive been posing as a biotech executive? We discuss all that and more on this week’s episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s biotech podcast. We speak with our colleagues Jason Mast and Matthew Herper about their impactful look at one father’s mission to develop a treatment for his daughter’s ultra-rare disease. The subject of that feature, Matt Wilsey, also joins us.
July 16 · 35 min
409: Predicting biotech clinical trials & a new Alzheimer's drug controversy
On this week’s episode of "The Readout LOUD": The Kalshi prediction markets are coming for biotech, plus the controversy over an experimental Alzheimer’s disease treatment from Biogen. Kalshi, the maker of prediction markets, announced this week that it is expanding into biotech. Soon, you’ll be able to make bets on the outcomes of clinical trials and FDA drug reviews. Is that a good thing? We’ll discuss the issues with Jonathan Kimmelman, a bioethicist at McGill University who has researched prediction in clinical trials. We also chat about Biogen and its tau-lowering drug for Alzheimer’s. A mid-stage clinical trial presented this week showed the drug reduced levels of the tau protein and slowed the rate of cognitive decline in patients. But the data also raised a lot of questions that left experts and investors debating the drug’s future.
July 9 · 43 min
408: Whistleblower takes on health insurance and FDA commissioner candidates
Why does getting family health insurance through a job cost as much as buying a new car? How did a whistleblower take on an insurance contractor? And who might be the new Food and Drug Administration commissioner? We discuss all that and more on this week’s episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s weekly biotech podcast. STAT reporter Bob Herman joins us to discuss his new series, "Out of Pocket, Out of Reach," which dives into how soaring costs for health insurance are hurting Americans and small business owners. We also speak with Chris Deacon, who filed a whistleblower lawsuit after spotting how an insurer may have violated contracts to provide health benefits for New Jersey's state workers. We also discuss the latest news in life sciences, including Anthropic's push into drug development and Vertex's largest-ever acquisition.
June 25 · 42 min
407: The mysterious case of Eli Lilly's obesity drug
Who got exclusive access to Eli Lilly's highly anticipated obesity candidate? Why are drugmakers spending so much money on acquisitions? And are hair loss drugs a good investment? We discuss all that and more on this week's episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT's biotech podcast. We bring on our colleague Lizzy Lawrence to discuss her scoop that Lilly and the Food and Drug Administration have allowed one person to receive the pharma company's obesity candidate, retatrutide, through the FDA’s “compassionate use” program. We also discuss the resurgence of M&A, Lilly's interest in a hair loss drug, and then the FDA's reversal on rare disease drugs.
June 18 · 36 min
406: New hope in treating Huntington's disease and a report card on RFK Jr.'s promises
This week: New hope for people living with Huntington’s disease, and a report card on RFK Jr.’s effort to remake health in America. The Food and Drug Administration reversed its opposition to a closely watched gene therapy for Huntington’s disease, clearing a path for its maker, the biotech company UniQure, to file for U.S. approval. Joining us to discuss this new development and what it means for the Huntington’s community is Lauren Holder, a Huntington’s disease advocate who is living with the early stages of the disease. A pledge to “Make America Healthy Again” earned Robert F. Kennedy Jr. his job as the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. He entered the role with a long to-do list, and a goal of delivering measurable improvements within two years. How has he fared? Isabella Cueto, STAT’s chronic disease reporter, has been closely tracking Kennedy and the MAHA movement’s actions, and joins us to discuss.
June 11 · 36 min
405: An obesity drug deep-dive, and peptides move mainstream
Can any of the new obesity medications in development stand out from the pack? Which company just broke records with its IPO? And will the Food and Drug Administration allow greater access to experimental peptides? We discuss all that and more on this week’s episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s biotech podcast.[2:37 PM]Undark’s Sara Talpos joins the podcast to discuss her reporting on the peptide BPC-157, and how its jumped from a Croatian lab to bodybuilding forums on Reddit to the FDA. (STAT co-published Talpos articles; the second piece was was supported by the Pulitzer Center). We also discuss the latest news in the life sciences, including obesity data from the American Diabetes Association meeting and a record-breaking IPO.
June 4 · 37 min
404: What RevMed's pancreatic cancer drug meant for one patient
Why did oncologists give a standing ovation to a data presentation on Revolution Medicines' pancreatic cancer drug, daraxonrasib? Why did biotech stocks perform so badly this week? And are concrete beaches better than normal beaches? We discuss all that and more on this week's episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT's biotech podcast. We bring on Leanna Stokes, who was diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer in 2023. She discusses how participating in RevMed's trial for daraxonrasib has affected her disease and life, and what the drug means for patients and the field. We also chat about other data presented during last week's meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the market reaction to Abivax's ulcerative colitis data, and the upcoming meeting of the American Diabetes Association.
May 28 · 47 min
403: Biotech exec Jeremy Levin on the industry's strategic turning point
On this week’s episode of “The Readout LOUD,” we chat with longtime biotech executive Jeremy Levin about his new book, “Biotech in the Balance: Saving a Strategic Industry in an Age of Distrust.” That sounds alarmist, and it is in some respects, but as Levin explains, the book is also a roadmap to a brighter future for the biotech industry.
May 21 · 44 min
402: Guarding biotech from China and big bets in longevity
On this week’s episode of “The Readout LOUD,” the hosts discuss STAT's Breakthrough Summit West, where powerful leaders from health care and science rubbed shoulders. They share some of the juicy conversations and insights, including BridgeBio CEO Neil Kumar's comments that the company is publishing “not the right structures” in their research publications. Listeners also will hear Allison's interview with Joe Betts-LaCroix, CEO of the Sam Altman-backed longevity company Retro Biosciences. Retro is preparing for its first clinical data readout and examining just how much impact AI can have in drug development. The hosts also discuss colleague Damian Garde's article on how China is tearing biotech apart and one self-appointed spokesperson’s strategy.
May 14 · 40 min
401: Makary’s departure and Cassidy’s tenuous Senate seat
This week’s episode of “The Readout LOUD” is all about health politics. We bring on FDA reporter Lizzy Lawrence to discuss Makary’s departure — why he is leaving, which of his policies will stick, and what we know about his acting replacement, Kyle Diamantas. Washington correspondent Chelsea Cirruzzo also joins us to discuss a closely tracked Republican Senate primary election this weekend. Bill Cassidy, chair of the Senate health committee, is up against two upstart rivals, including a Trump-backed candidate. The outcome of the primary could have far reaching implications for Trump’s health care agenda.

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