STAT+: How controversial was the decision by FDA’s Peter Marks to approve Sarepta’s gene therapy? Check its footnotes
The unilateral decision by Peter Marks, a top official at the Food and Drug Administration,…
Category: Matt’s Take
The HPV vaccine prevents cancer in men, too. Why do so few people get it?
You’d think if there were a vaccine that would prevent tens of thousands of cases…
STAT+: Matt & Adam’s Take: Amylyx did the right thing by withdrawing its ALS drug. That’s rare and worthy of praise
On Thursday morning, Amylyx Pharmaceuticals announced that it would withdraw its ALS drug, Relyvrio, after…
A study says intermittent fasting is making people drop dead. Oh, come on
The news is everywhere in my social news feeds this morning: A popular fad diet…
STAT+: Biden’s SOTU highlights pharma’s biggest political problem: It is terrifyingly, awfully alone
If you’re a drug company executive, you probably feel like you got up on the…
STAT+: Novo’s Catalent deal is great for GLP-1s. But what about drug manufacturing?
Sixteen billion dollars is a lot of money. But Monday’s announcement that the parent company…
STAT+: Illumina says it will divest Grail, starting a closing chapter for a disastrous deal
Illumina, the leading maker of DNA sequencing machines, said Sunday that it would divest Grail,…
STAT+: Why Sanofi got shellacked
Sanofi, the Paris-based drug giant, announced Friday that it would spin out its $5 billion…
STAT+: What we owe ALS patients — and why one company fell short
What do you say to a patient when the FDA rejects “their” experimental drug —…
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STAT+: Over-the-counter Sudafed doesn’t work. Neither does our system for evaluating older drugs
You would have been forgiven for being surprised on Sept. 12 when a panel of…
STAT+: What past blockbusters can tell us about future of Wegovy and other weight loss medicines
The news that the weight loss drug Wegovy reduced the risk of heart attacks and…
STAT+: From drug shortages to high prices, U.S. system’s shortcomings have deep roots
American medicine is a tragic paradox. An example: Cancer patients are likely dying as a…
STAT+: Francis deSouza’s tenure at Illumina is a lesson in how not to handle CEO succession
The sudden resignation of Francis deSouza as the CEO of Illumina Sunday represents anything but…
STAT+: Battle for the soul of Illumina is also a referendum on its CEO
On Thursday Illumina, the largest and most important maker of DNA sequencing technology, whose innovations…
STAT+: Bernie Sanders’ accidentally great drug pricing idea
When Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel was called before a Senate committee last week to defend…
Here’s why we’re not prepared for the next wave of biotech innovation
The first time I remember hearing the words “biology’s century,” it was a sales pitch….
STAT+: If a new Alzheimer’s drug works, was there any point to the Aduhelm controversy? Yes
The announcement Tuesday night from Eisai and Biogen that their experimental medicine, lecanemab, reduced Alzheimer’s…
Don’t let shrill debates keep you from getting a Covid booster
Even before the new Covid booster shots arrived, the arguments about them got shrill. There’s…
STAT+: Why Illumina has a merger mess of it own making
For Illumina, the leading maker of DNA sequencing equipment, there was bad news and worse…
STAT+: Moderna’s suing Pfizer? Wow! OK, now take a deep breath.
It’s the stuff that headline writers’ dreams are made of: Moderna is suing Pfizer and…
STAT+: The Senate’s drug pricing bill is an inevitable solution. It will still have plenty of unintended consequences
There’s really no ignoring the inexorable math that led the Senate to approve a plan…
Can we really get better Covid vaccines? There are big hurdles, but some hope
On Tuesday, White House officials gathered scientists, pharmaceutical executives, and experts in public health at…
New Covid trial results may point toward better ways to study medicines
The battle against Covid-19 has been marked by false hope, as too many people embraced…
STAT+: Gilead’s Dan O’Day is pharma’s most charming executive — but with his deals falling apart, charm may not be enough
The news Gilead Sciences dropped Monday was so disappointing it irked even the nicest guy…
Robert Califf is a fervent believer in data. At the FDA, will that be enough?
At his confirmation hearing last month to lead the Food and Drug Administration, Robert Califf…
The tragedy of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid vaccine
Johnson & Johnson’s Covid vaccine was going to be the shot for the world. Now,…
The Biden administration wants scientific advisers. It just doesn’t like what they have to say
Over the past month, the United States public has received a booster dose of confusion….
STAT+: By approving Biogen’s Alzheimer’s drug, the FDA is shifting its rules. That is a giant risk
In order to approve a new Alzheimer’s treatment, the Food and Drug Administration is rewriting…
Having pandemic panic attacks about virus variants? National preparation is the cure
The most frightening aspect of a pandemic, on a primal level, involves the emergence of…
Biden’s plan to end policy of keeping Covid vaccine doses in reserve is the first step in a difficult journey
The transition team of President-elect Joseph Biden has taken its first step to re-examine the…
Eager for a Covid vaccine, Trump now trusts drug companies he previously vilified
Amid the chaos and rancor of the first presidential debate, President Trump gave a dramatic…
People are dying from coronavirus because we’re not fast enough at clinical research
When medical historians look back at the Covid-19 pandemic, they will reckon with how the…
The U.S. gets a D- in the coronavirus fight. That stands for ‘disorganization,’ and it’s fixable
NEW YORK — Leora Horwitz has seen other disasters. Now the director of the Center…
Coronavirus testing is starting to get better — but it has a long way to go
Friday morning a ray of light cracked through the ominous cloud of the pandemic caused…
Why Trump’s coronavirus speech, designed to calm, deepened panic
President Donald Trump’s televised address on Wednesday was clearly aimed at calming the U.S. public,…
The coronavirus exposes our health care system’s weaknesses. We can be stronger
A coronavirus is so tiny that 1,000 of them could be stacked in the thickness…
STAT Plus: STAT’s guide to the most important, beneficial drugs approved in the past decade
The new year will end in a zero, making this a perfect opportunity to look…
The debate over America’s drug-pricing system is built on myths. It’s time to face reality
America’s drug-pricing system is broken. Any system in which the list price of insulin triples…