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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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  • 416 episodes
  • Updated Thursday

Episodes416

Newest first
  • Nov 21, 2024 · 35 min

    332: Pfizer's new R&D head, a VC deep-dive, and a new FDA commissioner?

    Atlas Venture Partner Bruce Booth joins the podcast to discuss his annual year in review report, the influence of China, and what the new Trump administration might mean for innovation. Adam and Allison also recap the latest news in the life sciences, including a new science chief at Pfizer, a new job for Ned Sharpless, and the ongoing presidential appointments.

  • Nov 14, 2024 · 30 min

    331: AbbVie’s stumble, Amgen’s tumble and more election fallout

    Why are AbbVie executives feeling the M&A blues? What does it take to slice $12 billion from Amgen’s market value? And why are STAT’s D.C. correspondents working so hard? We talk about all that and more on this week’s episode of the “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s biotech podcast. It’s a “Chatty Cathy” episode! Elaine, Allison and Adam lead off with a discussion about AbbVie’s M&A miscue following the failure of a closely followed schizophrenia drug. You’d hate us if obesity drugs weren’t mentioned, so we oblige with a tick-tock on what went down between Amgen and a Wall Street analyst who noted a possible safety issue with the obesity drug candidate MariTide.

  • Oct 31, 2024 · 28 min

    329: Lilly's earnings surprise, investors mull the election, & a spooky ghost story

    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.

  • Oct 24, 2024 · 33 min

    328: Pfizer's activist troubles, gene therapy questions, RFK Jr.'s MAHA ambitions

    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?

  • Oct 17, 2024 · 34 min

    327: Biotech's next gold rush, GLP-1 shortages, and STAT Summit highlights

    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.

  • Oct 10, 2024 · 40 min

    326: Crypto for CRISPR, a new RNAi startup, & a Nobel for AI

    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.

  • Oct 3, 2024 · 32 min

    325: Biden's health care AI czar, a new obesity company, and its dealmaking CEO

    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 Show."

  • Sep 28, 2024 · 28 min

    From Tradeoffs: Race to the Bottom

    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.

  • Sep 26, 2024 · 32 min

    324: Genentech's cancer pivot, Pfizer's sickle cell withdrawal, and a new schizophrenia drug

    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.

  • Sep 19, 2024 · 35 min

    323: Cannabinoids for weight loss, a cancelled ad comm, and the Fed lowers interest rates

    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."

  • Sep 5, 2024 · 35 min

    321: Summit's upcoming cancer results, Recursion's mixed data, and the next big obesity target

    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.

  • Aug 22, 2024 · 34 min

    319: BioMarin's executive shakeup, a GLP-1 lowers diabetes risk, and a deep look at Recursion's AI bona fides

    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 potentially links GLP-1 drugs to a higher rate of suicidal thoughts. Lastly, Adam and Elaine interrogate Allison about her deeply reported corporate profile of AI drug developer Recursion. Is all the hype real?

  • Aug 15, 2024 · 21 min

    318: Drug pricing drops & psychedelics under fire

    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.

  • Aug 8, 2024 · 28 min

    317: VC struggles, drug pricing negotiations, & Novo's abrupt Wegovy decision

    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.

  • Aug 1, 2024 · 34 min

    316: The long journey to make malaria vaccines, and Sarepta's ties with patient advocates

    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.

  • Jul 25, 2024 · 32 min

    315: UnitedHealth's doctor empire, an FDA departure, and Viking's obesity moves

    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 Viking's sped-up plans in obesity, the departure of a long time official at the Food and Drug Administration, and Kamala Harris' views on health policies.