STAT+: FDA oncology head wants advisory panels to keep voting on new drugs
CHICAGO — As commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Robert Califf has made clear…
Author: STAT
STAT+: UnitedHealth starts bidding war with $3.3 billion offer for Amedisys
There’s now a two-party showdown for one of the largest home health companies in the…
STAT+: Ted Love, BIO’s first Black board chair, aims to rehab biotech’s image in Washington
WASHINGTON — Ted Love has pretty much done everything there is to do in biotech. He’s…
STAT+: Gilead’s CAR-T therapy prolongs survival in key blood cancer trial
CHICAGO — Yescarta, the CAR-T therapy made by the Kite unit of Gilead Sciences, prolonged…
STAT+: Bellerophon Therapeutics trial fails despite innovative digital endpoint
In an important reminder that plugging digital tools into a clinical trial will not magically…
‘We arguably saved their lives’: Newborn DNA-sequencing reveals elevated cancer risks for parents
Ten years ago, clinicians in a handful of hospitals around the United States began sequencing…
STAT+: Carbon Health is already using AI to write patient records
SAN FRANCISCO — Primary care tech startup Carbon Health is using artificial intelligence to listen…
STAT+: Pharmalittle: AstraZeneca lung cancer drug halves death risk; 400 Grail patients incorrectly told they may have cancer
Good morning, everyone, and welcome to another working week. We hope the weekend respite was…
STAT+: To push antibiotic makers to be more green, a new system will certify manufacturing practices
In response to concerns about pollution caused by antibiotic production, an industry group is launching…
Akero’s NASH drug combined with Ozempic cut liver fat in small study
GLP-1s, a class of drugs including Ozempic and Wegovy that have become widely popular for…
For many who use power wheelchairs, CMS decision just made seat elevation much less expensive
This article is adapted from STAT’s latest report, Decoding Medicare: 10 key coverage decisions and…
Opinion: How to protect PrEP coverage, no matter what happens in Braidwood v. Becerra
Since a Texas judge’s decision dropped earlier this spring, Braidwood v. Becerra has sent shudders…
STAT+: How Blue Cross Blue Shield insurers ratcheted up profits in 2022
A $203 million tax refund for Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. Nearly $1.5…
STAT+: Keytruda’s benefits, a breast cancer win, the ‘dom-zim doublet’: Weekend wrap-up from ASCO
CHICAGO — The annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology is back in…
Listen: For Long Island mothers, community efforts address ‘an injustice made purposefully invisible’
In the third episode of “Color Code,” we take a look at efforts on Long…
STAT+: Biotechs face challenges as the industry’s annual bash returns to Boston
The world has changed since 2018 when the Biotechnology Innovation Organization last brought its annual…
STAT+: ‘Extraordinary’ survival data for lung cancer patients is seen as boost for AstraZeneca drug
CHICAGO – Giving the AstraZeneca drug Tagrisso to patients with non-small cell lung cancer who…
STAT+: Targeted drug greatly slows progression of a brain cancer
CHICAGO – An experimental drug dramatically slowed the growth of glioma, a type of brain…
STAT+: Immunogen drug prolongs survival of women with advanced ovarian cancer
CHICAGO — An antibody that delivers chemotherapy directly to tumor cells extended the lives of…
Cross-border ‘twinning programs’ may reduce survival disparities for childhood leukemia
A few miles can mean a life or death difference to children with cancer, if…
Biden plans to pick Mandy Cohen to lead CDC
WASHINGTON — President Biden plans to tap longtime federal and state health official Mandy Cohen…
STAT+: Pharmalittle: Medicare holds firm on Alzheimer’s drug coverage policy; Pfizer says antibiotic combo can treat some superbugs
And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Not a moment too…
STAT+: Novartis drug reduces breast cancer recurrence, but experts may debate results
Kisqali, a breast cancer pill made by Novartis, reduced the risk of recurrence of the…
Studies show top surgery is safe for fat patients, but some surgeons still mandate weight loss
Vince Wescott was ready for top surgery. He had the cash saved up, he’d gotten…
Opinion: PAs need a new name, but ‘physician associate’ won’t cut it. Here’s a better idea
I’m standing over an operating table, excising a skin cancer from the forehead of an…
Opinion: The agony of finding decent health care for my young-adult daughter with Down syndrome
Several years ago, a local artist asked if she could paint my younger daughter, then…
After outcry, UnitedHealthcare softens prior authorization policy for colonoscopies
After weeks of protest from physician organizations and patients, UnitedHealthcare has put a controversial new…
Black men were likely underdiagnosed with lung problems because of bias in software, study suggests
NEW YORK (AP) — Racial bias built into a common medical test for lung function…
Listen: Fake medical devices, real cancer drugs, & curious Ozempic effects
Why are fake medical devices more lucrative than real ones? Is Ozempic a neurological treatment?…
Nuance’s mysterious pricing, speedier digital health evidence reviews, and new breakthrough devices
You’re reading the web edition of STAT Health Tech, our guide to how tech is…
Insurance alone didn’t guarantee adherence to Ozempic, study finds
Having insurance coverage alone doesn’t guarantee that people can afford or would be willing to…
U.S. births in 2022 didn’t return to pre-pandemic levels
U.S. births were flat last year, as the nation saw fewer babies born than it…
Medicare holds firm on Alzheimer’s drug coverage policy
WASHINGTON — Despite pressure from Congress and advocates, Medicare isn’t changing its coverage plan for…
STAT+: Pharmalittle: Coherus undercuts AbbVie with discounted Humira; FDA approves second RSV vaccine
Good morning, everyone. Damian Garde here, filling in for Ed Silverman on the back half…
STAT+: Tempus launches an AI ‘assistant’ for thousands of oncologists
Tempus, a company that combines DNA sequencing for cancer with artificial intelligence, said Thursday that…
STAT+: Coherus works with Mark Cuban to sell biosimilar Humira at steep discounts
In a bold move, Coherus BioSciences plans to sell a biosimilar version of Humira —…
STAT+: Debt ceiling deal could mean cancer, disease research cuts, advocates warn
WASHINGTON — Researchers and health care advocates are warning that the debt ceiling deal would…
STAT+: Republicans want to crack down on pricey health regulations, but there are major loopholes
WASHINGTON — At first glance, the debt ceiling deal that Republicans struck with the White…
Opinion: The DEA needs to officially allow telehealth prescribing for opioid use disorder
The statistics are dismal, though they bear repeating: 81% of overdose deaths in the U.S….
Opinion: Doctors think “advocate” is a dirty word. But it’s our ethical responsibility
Last Thursday, after 15 hours of deliberation, the Indiana State Licensing board ruled that our…
Hospitals want to buy doctors’ happiness with Nuance’s AI scribe. What they’re paying varies
Microsoft-owned Nuance Communications sells its AI medical scribe platform to health care providers on a…
FDA approves Pfizer’s RSV vaccine for older adults
The Food and Drug Administration approved a second vaccine to protect older adults against RSV…
STAT+: CVS warns PBM reforms ‘could lead to higher costs’
As Congress considers wide-ranging reforms to pharmacy benefit managers, a top executive at CVS Health,…
House Republicans demand career scientist explain pathogen research
WASHINGTON — House Republicans are ratcheting up pressure on federal agencies’ pandemic response with an…
STAT+: Pharmalittle: Appeals court rules Purdue can shield Sacklers from lawsuits; chemo shortage blamed on drugmakers’ lack of investment
Hey there. STAT reporter Andrew Joseph here welcoming you to Wednesday’s edition of Pharmalittle, with…
Opinion: Newly diagnosed cancer patients need help navigating the system
“Hey, I’m sorry to bother you, but I could really use your advice on something.”…
Opinion: Listen: Ezekiel Emanuel explains why cancer patients shouldn’t pay out-of-pocket costs
The high cost of cancer treatment in the U.S. is literally killing people. “Over a…
‘A target on my back’: New survey shows racism is a huge problem in nursing
A family nurse practitioner in New York City, Jose M. Maria has come to expect…
Sacklers win appeal that shields them from opioid lawsuits, clearing way for bankruptcy settlement
A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday Purdue Pharma can shield its owners — members of…
Sen. Elizabeth Warren probes abortion access amid states’ patchwork plans
WASHINGTON – Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is launching a fresh round of questioning on states’…