Tag: statnews
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Live from JPM 2026, a sit-down with Novo Nordisk’s CEO and VC Bob Nelsen
Live from JPM 2026, a sit-down with Novo Nordisk’s CEO and VC Bob Nelsen How did an office clerk become CEO of a major pharmaceutical company? What’s “Project Prometheus”? And what’s next in drug R&D? Allison, Adam, and Elaine are asking those questions live from the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco. Read the…
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U.S. overdose deaths fell through most of 2025, federal data reveals
U.S. overdose deaths fell through most of 2025, federal data reveals NEW YORK — U.S. overdose deaths fell through most of last year, suggesting a lasting improvement in an epidemic that had been worsening for decades. Federal data released Wednesday showed that overdose deaths have been falling for more than two years — the longest drop in…
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STAT+: Secretive Project Prometheus takes VC Bob Nelsen beyond just health care
STAT+: Secretive Project Prometheus takes VC Bob Nelsen beyond just health care SAN FRANCISCO — Venture capitalist Bob Nelsen believes his latest project will be “one of the most important companies in the world.” But, unusually for the longtime biotech investor, it’s not strictly in health care. Nelsen has been quietly working on a new…
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Trump administration cuts up to $1.9 billion from mental health and addiction treatment programs
Trump administration cuts up to $1.9 billion from mental health and addiction treatment programs The federal agency that oversees mental health and addiction treatment on Tuesday made major cuts to programs across the behavioral health field, according to eight sources with knowledge of the decisions. While the exact funding cuts enacted by the Substance Abuse…
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Kennedy adds two OB-GYNs to vaccine advisory panel amid review of shots for pregnant women
Kennedy adds two OB-GYNs to vaccine advisory panel amid review of shots for pregnant women WASHINGTON — Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appointed two new members to the main federal vaccine advisory board, his latest change to a group that has made a series of controversial recommendations and upended the usual processes for vaccine…
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STAT+: Watch: At JPM, former drug regulator Richard Pazdur rings the alarm about politics at FDA
STAT+: Watch: At JPM, former drug regulator Richard Pazdur rings the alarm about politics at FDA Richard Pazdur, a veteran regulator at the Food and Drug Administration until last month, joined STAT in San Francisco on Monday evening to make his first public remarks about the circumstances leading up to his abrupt departure. At an…
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STAT+: On Day 2 of JPM, Gilead lays outs it next test, a VC looks to raise funds, and one firm has FDA whiplash
STAT+: On Day 2 of JPM, Gilead lays outs it next test, a VC looks to raise funds, and one firm has FDA whiplash This is the online version of The Readout, STAT’s flagship biotech newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox. You’re back. We’re sort of back. It’s Day 2 of JPM and we’re…
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STAT+: HHS dismisses member of vaccine injury advisory panel
STAT+: HHS dismisses member of vaccine injury advisory panel WASHINGTON — At least one member of a committee that advises the federal government on its vaccine injury compensation program has had her term prematurely ended, potentially foreshadowing further changes to the federal apparatus that reviews vaccine injuries and compensates patients. Veronica McNally, an attorney who…
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Opinion: 46% of U.S. counties don’t have a cardiologist. ARPA-H’s new agentic AI program could bring them specialized care
Opinion: 46% of U.S. counties don’t have a cardiologist. ARPA-H’s new agentic AI program could bring them specialized care When my 14-year journey to train as a heart failure cardiologist finally concluded, I naturally assumed the hardest time was behind me. But in my first job I found myself working as the only cardiologist in…
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STAT+: With a grin — and tight lips — Revolution Medicines’ CEO faces questions about acquisition
STAT+: With a grin — and tight lips — Revolution Medicines’ CEO faces questions about acquisition SAN FRANCISCO — Investors attending the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference packed themselves into a hotel meeting room Monday to hear Revolution Medicines CEO Mark Goldsmith explain why Merck — or some other pharma buyer — should pay $30 billion…
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STAT+: On Day 1 of JPM, no blockbuster headlines, but biotech newsmakers still move markets
STAT+: On Day 1 of JPM, no blockbuster headlines, but biotech newsmakers still move markets This is the online version of The Readout, STAT’s flagship biotech newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox. Hello from sunny San Francisco, where #BiotechVibeWatch2026 has begun. This is Allison DeAngelis, joined here by STAT’s Adam Feuerstein, Matthew Herper, and…
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STAT+: At JPM, doctors’ darling OpenEvidence says it’s pursuing ‘medical super-intelligence’
STAT+: At JPM, doctors’ darling OpenEvidence says it’s pursuing ‘medical super-intelligence’ OpenEvidence has rapidly become a household name among physicians, with a chatbot that answers their day-to-day clinical questions. Last year, it raised $200 million — twice — valuing the company at more than $6 billion. Its next reported round, yet to be confirmed, would…
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STAT+: UnitedHealth has turned Medicare Advantage coding into ‘profit-centered strategy,’ Senate report finds
STAT+: UnitedHealth has turned Medicare Advantage coding into ‘profit-centered strategy,’ Senate report finds UnitedHealth Group’s colossal size has helped the conglomerate turn the way patients are coded in the Medicare Advantage program into “a major profit-centered strategy, which was not the original intent of the program,” according to a new report released Monday from the…
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STAT+: Trump administration indicates it will drop appeal of a court order blocking a 340B pilot program
STAT+: Trump administration indicates it will drop appeal of a court order blocking a 340B pilot program The Trump administration has signaled plans to drop its appeal of a court order that blocked a pilot program from changing payment terms for a controversial federal drug discount program. In a Monday court document, the Department of…
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STAT+: Alnylam charts ambitious five-year plan as sales of key drug miss expectations
STAT+: Alnylam charts ambitious five-year plan as sales of key drug miss expectations SAN FRANCISCO — On Sunday, Alnylam, the gene-silencing company that notched one gigantic accomplishment after another over the past five years, set out a plan for the next five years built on yet more innovation and growth. At the same time, it announced…
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STAT+: Why the JP Morgan conference is important — but not make-or-break
STAT+: Why the JP Morgan conference is important — but not make-or-break This is the online version of Adam’s Biotech Scorecard, a subscriber-only newsletter. STAT+ subscribers can sign up here to get it delivered to their inbox. My advice for JPM week: chill SAN FRANCISCO — The super-sized gathering of the biopharma universe is important, but it’s…
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STAT+: FDA puts off Stoke’s request for faster filing of severe epilepsy drug
STAT+: FDA puts off Stoke’s request for faster filing of severe epilepsy drug SAN FRANCISCO — Stoke Therapeutics and the Food and Drug Administration were unable to reach agreement on an expedited submission for the company’s severe epilepsy treatment, the company said Sunday. Following a meeting in December, the FDA did not shut the door…
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Opinion: The NIH has lost its scientific integrity. So we left
Opinion: The NIH has lost its scientific integrity. So we left We are National Institutes of Health scientists and administrators with more than 50 years of collective civil service. Or, more accurately, we were NIH scientists and administrators. Read the rest… Sylvia Chou, Paul Grothaus, Alexa Romberg, and Vani Pariyadath Go to statnews
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STAT+: Key scientist from Baby KJ team launches startup to scale personalized CRISPR medicines
STAT+: Key scientist from Baby KJ team launches startup to scale personalized CRISPR medicines In between bites of thin, crispy slices of pizza at Berkeley’s Pizzeria da Laura, gene editing researcher Fyodor Urnov and venture capitalist Johnny Hu began hatching a plan for a different kind of CRISPR company. It was spring 2024 and Urnov,…
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STAT+: Confused by the new food pyramid? So are nutrition experts
STAT+: Confused by the new food pyramid? So are nutrition experts Get your daily dose of health and medicine every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. Greetings from sunny San Diego, where winter is an abstract concept. This is Jonathan Wosen, West Coast biotech & life sciences reporter, filling in for Rose.…
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STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about a potential Merck purchase, a J&J pricing deal with Trump, and more
STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about a potential Merck purchase, a J&J pricing deal with Trump, and more And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Not a moment too soon, yes? This is, you may recall, our treasured signal to daydream about weekend plans. Our agenda is, so far, rather modest. We…
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STAT+: Former NIH genomics director Eric Green to join Illumina as CMO
STAT+: Former NIH genomics director Eric Green to join Illumina as CMO Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. The Readout heads to the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference next week, which means it will hit your inboxes in the afternoon instead…
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STAT+: Up and down the ladder: The latest comings and goings
STAT+: Up and down the ladder: The latest comings and goings Hired someone new and exciting? Promoted a rising star? Finally solved that hard-to-fill spot? Share the news with us, and we’ll share it with others. That’s right. Send us your changes, and we’ll find a home for them. Don’t be shy. Everyone wants to know who is…
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JPM to bring more deals and happy CEOs
JPM to bring more deals and happy CEOs What news happened over the holidays? Why will pharma CEOs be greeted warmly in San Francisco next week? And who will buy Revolution Medicines? We discuss all that and more on this week’s episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s weekly biotech podcast. We bring on former co-host…
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STAT+: House passes ACA subsidy extension as bipartisan negotiations heat up in Senate
STAT+: House passes ACA subsidy extension as bipartisan negotiations heat up in Senate WASHINGTON — The House voted 230 to 196 to pass a three-year extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies, with 17 Republicans joining all Democrats in favor. Five Republicans did not vote. That the House considered the matter at all shows…
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STAT+: Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, on top of immunology drug, helped reduce psoriatic arthritis symptoms
STAT+: Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, on top of immunology drug, helped reduce psoriatic arthritis symptoms Eli Lilly said Thursday that adding its weight loss drug Zepbound on top of its immunology therapy Taltz helped obese patients with an autoimmune condition that causes joint pain more than Taltz did alone. The data suggest the GLP-1 drug Zepbound,…
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Decrease in drug deaths stems from ‘shock’ to fentanyl supply, new research suggests
Decrease in drug deaths stems from ‘shock’ to fentanyl supply, new research suggests The significant, recent decline in U.S. drug overdose deaths was driven in large part by a sudden shift in North America’s illicit drug supply in 2023, according to a new academic analysis. The drop in deaths likely stems from a decrease in…
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How saturated fats lost, and won, on new food pyramid
How saturated fats lost, and won, on new food pyramid For months, nutrition experts have been anxiously waiting to see whether the new U.S. dietary guidelines would follow through on health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s pledge to end the war on saturated fat. The guidelines’ longstanding recommendation to cap saturated fat consumption at 10%…
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STAT’s Helen Branswell on the ‘startling’ new U.S. vaccine schedule
STAT’s Helen Branswell on the ‘startling’ new U.S. vaccine schedule It was, in a word, unprecedented. As Helen Branswell, STAT’s infectious diseases correspondent, explains in this video, Monday’s move by the Department of Health and Human Services — political appointees of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — to unilaterally rewrite the list of vaccines…
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Dietary guidelines declare war on processed foods and sugar, encourage more protein and dairy
Dietary guidelines declare war on processed foods and sugar, encourage more protein and dairy The Trump administration on Wednesday issued a long-promised revamp of national dietary guidelines, urging Americans to eat more protein and less added sugar and, for the first time, discouraging consumption of highly processed foods. The guidelines, despite widespread expectations, do not…
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STAT+: Panel behind new dietary guidelines had financial ties to beef, dairy industries
STAT+: Panel behind new dietary guidelines had financial ties to beef, dairy industries A group of researchers that formed the scientific basis of new dietary guidelines included people with financial ties to the beef and dairy industries, as well as food companies and other groups. Meat and dairy products received prime placement in new dietary…
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STAT+: China expected to soon surpass U.S. in bio innovation
STAT+: China expected to soon surpass U.S. in bio innovation Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning. It’s an exciting week not only for biotech M&A, but also for my city (Chicago) as we gear up for our big game…
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STAT+: AI Prognosis readers’ predictions for health AI in 2026. What’s on your bingo card?
STAT+: AI Prognosis readers’ predictions for health AI in 2026. What’s on your bingo card? You’re reading the web edition of STAT’s AI Prognosis newsletter, our subscriber-exclusive guide to artificial intelligence in health care and medicine. Sign up to get it delivered in your inbox every Wednesday. Hope you had a great holiday season. I’m starting off…
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Opinion: What I got wrong 33 years ago as a new pediatrician talking to parents about vaccines
Opinion: What I got wrong 33 years ago as a new pediatrician talking to parents about vaccines In 1993, a young couple expecting their first child walked into my office. As the new pediatric residency director at the University of California San Diego, I was eager to help them find the right doctor for their…
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STAT+: FDA announces sweeping changes to oversight of wearables, AI-enabled devices
STAT+: FDA announces sweeping changes to oversight of wearables, AI-enabled devices LAS VEGAS — The Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that it will ease regulation of digital health products, following through on the Trump administration’s promises to deregulate artificial intelligence and promote its widespread use. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary indicated that one of the…
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New vaccine schedule adds near- and long-term risks for children, experts warn
New vaccine schedule adds near- and long-term risks for children, experts warn WASHINGTON — When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. assumed the role of health secretary almost one year ago, he said he had one overriding goal: to improve children’s health. But Kennedy’s sudden, unilateral, and sweeping change to the nation’s childhood vaccine schedule, announced Monday,…
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STAT+: HHS slashes vaccine recommendations
STAT+: HHS slashes vaccine recommendations You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We’re almost healthy again, according to RFK Jr., though I’m certainly not in top form after my holiday break.…
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Trump tells Republicans to be ‘flexible’ on abortion restrictions to get a health care deal
Trump tells Republicans to be ‘flexible’ on abortion restrictions to get a health care deal President Donald Trump said Tuesday he wants Republicans to reach a deal on health care insurance assistance by being willing to bend on a 50-year-old budget policy that bars federal money from being spent on abortion services. “You have to be a little…
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With political savvy and outrage over drug prices, advocate David Mitchell was ahead of his time
With political savvy and outrage over drug prices, advocate David Mitchell was ahead of his time About a dozen years ago, I was interviewing for a job at The Wall Street Journal when I was asked by an editor what I thought would be the most important story in the coming year for the pharmaceutical…
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Federal health officials slash recommended childhood vaccinations under Trump’s directive
Federal health officials slash recommended childhood vaccinations under Trump’s directive WASHINGTON — Federal health officials are unilaterally reducing the number of recommended pediatric immunizations in response to an order from President Trump, the most significant reshaping of the vaccine schedule since Trump took office and empowered health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime critic…
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STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about the U.S. launch of a Wegovy pill, a Chinese biotech incubator, and more
STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about the U.S. launch of a Wegovy pill, a Chinese biotech incubator, and more Good morning, everyone, and welcome to another working week. We have returned from an extended break, which perhaps many of you enjoyed as well. In any event, we hope that any down time was relaxing and invigorating,…
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STAT+: Insilico inks cancer drug deal with Servier after IPO
STAT+: Insilico inks cancer drug deal with Servier after IPO Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Welcome back and happy new year! We have plenty of fresh coverage to start the week. We can also report that our upcoming STAT@JPM…
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STAT+: Who will pay for AI in health care? 3 trends to watch in 2026
STAT+: Who will pay for AI in health care? 3 trends to watch in 2026 The health care industry is gearing up for a battle over whether and how clinical artificial intelligence should get paid for. As of the end of September, the Food and Drug Administration has authorized 1,357 AI-enabled medical devices. But very…
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Opinion: New medical technology presents hospitals with a prisoner’s dilemma
Opinion: New medical technology presents hospitals with a prisoner’s dilemma In 2026, Medtronic plans to launch a new robot to compete with a legacy market leader. This new robot is reportedly cheaper both in startup and sustained costs. That’s a welcome direction for any new medical technology, but it ignores a problem that hospitals, especially…
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Debates around life, death, and access worry those with disabilities. 3 trends to watch in 2026
Debates around life, death, and access worry those with disabilities. 3 trends to watch in 2026 After a tumultuous year for people with disabilities, advocates are pushing to expand access to primary and emergency care — and add nuance to the emerging conversations around genetic engineering and end-of-life care. As STAT predicted this time last…
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Missed first vaccines make babies far more likely to miss measles shot, study finds
Missed first vaccines make babies far more likely to miss measles shot, study finds Babies who don’t get their first round of vaccines on time at 2 months of age are much less likely to get vaccinated against measles, mumps, and rubella by age 2, according to a new study that suggests pediatricians may have…
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NIH director says DEI-related grants that were restored under a court order won’t be renewed
NIH director says DEI-related grants that were restored under a court order won’t be renewed Throughout the year, researchers have been heartened by legal decisions pushing back on directives from the National Institutes of Health to halt and deprioritize work it deems related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. In June, two suits filed against the…
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Opinion: Why I’m skipping Dry January
Opinion: Why I’m skipping Dry January Like many of my friends, I enjoy a glass of wine with dinner or a beer with friends. But a recent U.S. surgeon general report warning that any alcohol consumption is unsafe made me pause. Should I embrace “Dry January,” or even quit altogether? Recently, at least eight respected medical societies…
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Genetic variant appears to protect some people against certain blood cancers
Genetic variant appears to protect some people against certain blood cancers Over time, hematopoietic or blood stem cells can quietly acquire mutations that push them to divide just a little more aggressively, creating a larger group of clones in the bone marrow. In a fraction of people with this phenomenon, called clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate…
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Opinion: The most-read First Opinion essays of 2025
Opinion: The most-read First Opinion essays of 2025 You can chart 2025’s biggest and most important life sciences topics through the most read First Opinion essays of the year: vaccines, health insurance costs, whether AI is fulfilling its promise, the MAHA movement, and general chaos within the federal government. But the top 20 pieces —…
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The top medical advances of 2025
The top medical advances of 2025 It has been a tough year for medicine. The U.S. research enterprise has been scrambled by a series of political decisions with long-reaching consequences. But make no mistake: Science didn’t stop, and medicine has had its share of major advances. As I have written for years, this is biology’s…
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NIH begins review of thousands of delayed research proposals, funding 135 on first day
NIH begins review of thousands of delayed research proposals, funding 135 on first day A deal between the federal government and groups that sued the Trump administration over National Institutes of Health research grant proposals consigned to bureaucratic limbo because of anti-DEI policies is already bearing fruit. The agreement, which was reached Monday, came with…
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STAT+: A new drug allowed them to go in the sun for the first time. They’re terrified they may have to give it up
STAT+: A new drug allowed them to go in the sun for the first time. They’re terrified they may have to give it up It was particularly cold and windy for a November day, but that didn’t matter to Ginger Gonsalves and Becky Kelliher. The sun was out, and no one counted the seconds in…
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Opinion: Patients are consulting AI. Doctors should, too
Opinion: Patients are consulting AI. Doctors should, too Ask most physicians today, and they’ll describe some version of this scene: In the middle of an appointment, a patient says, “I asked ChatGPT about the treatment you recommended.” A few years ago, doctors might have bristled. Today, this is the new reality. And yet, it’s exactly…
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STAT’s most memorable photos of 2025
STAT’s most memorable photos of 2025 Each of the photographs below represents a life — or lives — profoundly affected by the events of 2025. Some of the stories have been about loss — of jobs, of access to health care, of research grants. Others represent hope — in the form of promising new treatments for cancer,…
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STAT+: Three major health care policy issues to watch in 2026
STAT+: Three major health care policy issues to watch in 2026 WASHINGTON — Health care figured prominently in the first year of President Trump’s second term, and it’ll likely play an even bigger role leading up to the 2026 midterm elections. The shift back to health care politics has been somewhat surprising. Although Republicans were…
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Trump administration agrees to reconsider frozen and denied NIH grant submissions related to DEI
Trump administration agrees to reconsider frozen and denied NIH grant submissions related to DEI The Trump administration has reached an agreement to reevaluate research projects left in bureaucratic limbo while a lawsuit over the termination of thousands of grants from the National Institutes of Health moves through the courts. The decision caps off a tumultuous…
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STAT+: CMS divvies up first payments from $50B rural health fund, with an eye toward MAHA goals
STAT+: CMS divvies up first payments from $50B rural health fund, with an eye toward MAHA goals WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Monday announced the distribution of the first payments from a new $50 billion rural health fund — but not all states are getting equal payouts. The administration is giving larger awards to…
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STAT+: With the Wegovy pill, Novo Nordisk undercuts Eli Lilly in direct-to-consumer market
STAT+: With the Wegovy pill, Novo Nordisk undercuts Eli Lilly in direct-to-consumer market Novo Nordisk plans to sell its newly approved obesity pill directly to patients at a lower price than a competing medicine from Eli Lilly, as the Danish drugmaker tries to seize market share among consumers paying cash for blockbuster GLP-1 therapies. Novo…
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We wish we’d written that: STAT staffers share their favorite stories of 2025
We wish we’d written that: STAT staffers share their favorite stories of 2025 This year saw upheaval in all corners of health, science, and biotech. While our staff was covering all of the twists and turns, they were also looking with admiration at stellar work from other journalists. Below is our annual list of stories…
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Opinion: The complicated truth about urinary tract infections in the elderly
Opinion: The complicated truth about urinary tract infections in the elderly Recently, a former patient contacted me about his wife. “She had a recent stroke which has caused cognitive decline along with slow-growing dementia,” he told me via text. “Never, ever had a urinary tract infection in her life, she has now had four in…
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In 2026, Kennedy’s MAHA vision gets put to the test. Here are 3 issues to watch
In 2026, Kennedy’s MAHA vision gets put to the test. Here are 3 issues to watch In many ways, it’s been a banner year for chronic disease. America’s enduring ailments became a central theme of the Trump administration, with health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wielding his influence over the president. Trump created a commission…
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STAT+: Director of NIH neurological disorders institute is ousted, adding to leadership churn
STAT+: Director of NIH neurological disorders institute is ousted, adding to leadership churn Walter Koroshetz, director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, will soon be leaving his role, STAT has learned. His departure in the coming days means nearly half the 27 NIH divisions will have interim leaders. Koroshetz sent an email…
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STAT+: Brain-computer implants are coming of age. Here are 3 trends to watch in 2026
STAT+: Brain-computer implants are coming of age. Here are 3 trends to watch in 2026 Brain-computer interface startups are surging — and poised to expand technologically and geographically. After early feasibility studies and securing breakthrough device designations from the Food and Drug Administration, for several companies’ the future is looking less like a mirage and…
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Opinion: PubMed has competition from Germany. That’s a very good thing
Opinion: PubMed has competition from Germany. That’s a very good thing In May the German National Library of Medicine announced its plan to develop an open, sustainable, and sovereign alternative to PubMed, the free online biomedical database housed in the National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. The announcement of this…
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3 issues to watch in public health in 2026
3 issues to watch in public health in 2026 We warned you late last year that 2025 was likely to be pretty rock ’n roll. Confession time: We had no idea it would be as cuckoo bananas as it turned out to be. That the administration would summarily terminate most global health aid by shuttering…
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Best of STAT 2025
Best of STAT 2025 What a year! Yes, it was our 10th anniversary, but it also brought an unprecedented blizzard of news, and while we weren’t added to a Signal chat on war plans, we did have a giant health insurer email us internal strategy documents by mistake. Our coverage featured everything from a piece…
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Nineteen states, D.C. sue HHS over gender-affirming care crackdown
Nineteen states, D.C. sue HHS over gender-affirming care crackdown WASHINGTON — A coalition of Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia has sued the federal health department, calling a declaration that rejected gender-affirming care signed by health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. an overreach of his authority. The lawsuit, filed by 19 states and D.C.,…
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Opinion: What giving flu shots backstage taught me about public health
Opinion: What giving flu shots backstage taught me about public health For the past two and a half months, I’ve spent many afternoons in the hidden spaces of New York’s performing arts world — its dressing rooms, rehearsal studios, green rooms, and backstage corridors. I’m a physician, and this fall I volunteered as one of…
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STAT+: The 3 biggest issues to watch in vaccine policy in 2026
STAT+: The 3 biggest issues to watch in vaccine policy in 2026 WASHINGTON — Vaccine policy has become a key issue for the Trump administration, especially under the leadership of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who himself once led an anti-vaccine group. In less than a year, Kennedy has bulldozed vaccine policy precedent and…
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3 drug policy questions to watch in 2026
3 drug policy questions to watch in 2026 Drug policy was largely a backburner issue in 2025. Despite the ambitions of some moderate or right-leaning activists, and an apparent passion for the issue from health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., substance use and addiction issues have made few headlines in the past year. Read the…
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Opinion: Proposed HHS rule on gender-affirming care radically expands use of Medicare, Medicaid as policy weapons
Opinion: Proposed HHS rule on gender-affirming care radically expands use of Medicare, Medicaid as policy weapons Last Thursday, the Trump administration released a proposed rule prohibiting hospitals that receive Medicare or Medicaid funding from providing any gender affirming care to minors, even when privately funded. This rule will foreclose access to gender-affirming care for families seeking…
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STAT+: Trump moves to require lower drug prices in Medicare
STAT+: Trump moves to require lower drug prices in Medicare You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The NIH director did the Pete & Bobby fitness challenge, but I didn’t see…
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STAT+: Rolling back health AI transparency rule will shift the burden of vetting to health systems
STAT+: Rolling back health AI transparency rule will shift the burden of vetting to health systems A Trump administration proposal to deregulate artificial intelligence products used in health care would shift the burden of vetting those tools onto health systems that would have to work harder to prove the technology is trustworthy, experts said. In…
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STAT+: Major pharma companies may avoid Medicare experiments’ forced price cuts
STAT+: Major pharma companies may avoid Medicare experiments’ forced price cuts Many of the largest drugmakers may be exempt from Medicare pilot programs intended to force them to lower some of their prices, potentially undermining the effort and depriving American patients of cheaper drugs. Several of the 14 pharmaceutical companies that have struck individual drug-pricing…
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Trump administration’s plan to shrink vaccine schedule sends health sector scrambling
Trump administration’s plan to shrink vaccine schedule sends health sector scrambling WASHINGTON — A possible Trump administration effort to change the childhood vaccine schedule has left hospital leaders, health policymakers, and pediatricians scrambling to navigate what could be the most significant changes to the American vaccine program in decades. The administration had planned to announce…
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FDA approves pill version of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, possibly widening access
FDA approves pill version of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, possibly widening access The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved the oral version of Novo Nordisk’s injectable weight loss drug Wegovy, making it the first GLP-1 pill to be cleared by regulators for obesity and possibly allowing many more Americans to get access to a highly…
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STAT+: Trump administration proposes Medicare pilots to lower drug prices on par with peer countries
STAT+: Trump administration proposes Medicare pilots to lower drug prices on par with peer countries WASHINGTON — The Trump administration proposed two Medicare pilot programs to reduce prices for branded drugs bought at pharmacy counters and administered in doctor offices. If the administration moves forward, the programs could slash Medicare spending on prescription drugs by…
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STAT+: Pharmaceutical industry evades drug price transparency, again
STAT+: Pharmaceutical industry evades drug price transparency, again Drug manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers received a holiday gift from President Trump on Friday: They still will not have to publicly post the actual prices of prescription drugs, more than five years after federal law required them to do so. Net drug prices — the amounts…
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An advocate who offered a window on the experience of living with brain cancer dies at 43
An advocate who offered a window on the experience of living with brain cancer dies at 43 In 2018, I wrote a profile of a patient advocate named Adam Hayden. A few years earlier, at the age of 34, soon after he and his wife had had their third child, Adam was diagnosed with terminal…
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STAT+: Mass General Brigham bolstered its bottom line. Other Mass. hospital groups reported multimillion losses
STAT+: Mass General Brigham bolstered its bottom line. Other Mass. hospital groups reported multimillion losses Despite uncertainty and concern buffeting Massachusetts hospitals, the state’s largest health system saw its finances improve last year, turning a small operating surplus and receiving a boon from investment income. Mass General Brigham on Friday reported a $59.2 million operating gain…
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Opinion: Francis Collins: ‘I think of science as glimpsing God’s mind’
Opinion: Francis Collins: ‘I think of science as glimpsing God’s mind’ Below is a lightly edited, AI-generated transcript of the “First Opinion Podcast” interview with Marc Siegel and Francis Collins. Be sure to sign up for the weekly “First Opinion Podcast” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Get alerts about each new episode…
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STAT+: Drugmakers promise to stockpile certain drugs as part of new drug pricing deals
STAT+: Drugmakers promise to stockpile certain drugs as part of new drug pricing deals WASHINGTON — Brand drugmakers have agreed to donate bulk ingredients to a national stockpile as part of deals with the Trump administration focused on lowering U.S. drug prices to levels available to other wealthy countries. The administration announced Friday that nine…
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STAT+: Cytokinetics heart drug wins FDA approval, the biotech’s first
STAT+: Cytokinetics heart drug wins FDA approval, the biotech’s first It took 27 years, but Cytokinetics secured its first U.S. drug approval. On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration cleared the new medicine, called Myqorzo, to treat patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an inherited heart disorder. Cytokinetics said it will begin selling Myqorzo in late…
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Opinion: Why Denmark’s vaccine schedule works for Denmark — but not for the United States
Opinion: Why Denmark’s vaccine schedule works for Denmark — but not for the United States Reports that the Department of Health and Human Services may overhaul the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule to resemble Denmark’s have prompted a reasonable question: Why do American children receive vaccines against diseases that Danish children do not? The answer is…
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STAT+: Kennedy vaccine adviser to take a new role at CDC on children’s health research
STAT+: Kennedy vaccine adviser to take a new role at CDC on children’s health research WASHINGTON — A vaccine adviser at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with ties to health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is being given a new portfolio that will have him overseeing research into adverse childhood experiences, according to…
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STAT+: UnitedHealth proclaims audits show it has ‘robust’ procedures, in contrast to findings of independent reviews
STAT+: UnitedHealth proclaims audits show it has ‘robust’ procedures, in contrast to findings of independent reviews UnitedHealth Group said Friday that the consultants it hired to audit its operations, including its practice of applying lucrative diagnosis codes to older adults’ records, found they’re not only “robust,” but “industry leading.” While the reports give a veneer…
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Trump’s marijuana reclassification could boost research, broaden access
Trump’s marijuana reclassification could boost research, broaden access President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order directing the federal government to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III substance, marking a major milestone in American drug policy and choosing sides in the debate between advocates for more research and drug policy hawks. Under the new classification,…
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Facing federal hostility, supervised consumption site points to 1,900 overdose reversals
Facing federal hostility, supervised consumption site points to 1,900 overdose reversals OnPoint NYC, the nonprofit that was the first in the nation to openly offer supervised drug consumption services, celebrated its fourth anniversary Thursday by trumpeting its positive community impact, making its case triumphantly and with a touch of defiance following nearly a year of…
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In major effort to end gender-affirming care, Trump administration takes aim at hospitals
In major effort to end gender-affirming care, Trump administration takes aim at hospitals The Trump administration is making its most forceful attempt yet at restricting gender-affirming care for transgender youth in the U.S. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed on Thursday two rules to withhold federal funds in connection with gender-affirming care for…
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Biotech’s year in review
Biotech’s year in review Is the biotech industry truly out of its slump? Why are employers dropping coverage of weight loss drugs? And what will the hosts bake for the holidays? We discuss all that and more on this week’s episode of “The Readout LOUD,” the last episode of the year. We bring on Bruce…
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STAT+: NIH funding rates for early-career researchers plunged in 2025, new data show
STAT+: NIH funding rates for early-career researchers plunged in 2025, new data show A Trump administration change to how the National Institutes of Health awards grants has reduced early-stage investigators’ odds of securing funding, new data from the agency show. During the 2025 fiscal year, 18.5% of early-stage researchers who applied for grants equivalent to…
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STAT+: FDA approves brain tumor warning on Depo-Provera label as court battle grows over side effects
STAT+: FDA approves brain tumor warning on Depo-Provera label as court battle grows over side effects The Food and Drug Administration has approved a change to the labeling for a Pfizer birth control shot that warns patients of the risk of meningioma, a tumor in the layers of tissue that cover the brain and spinal…
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STAT+: Meta is urged by state attorneys general to boost enforcement of weight loss drug advertising
STAT+: Meta is urged by state attorneys general to boost enforcement of weight loss drug advertising More than three dozen state attorneys general are urging Meta to better enforce its policies to thwart a “surge of misleading” pharmaceutical and wellness ads for weight loss drugs on Instagram and Facebook. And the state officials also want…
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STAT+: House set to vote on bills to ban gender-affirming care for young people
STAT+: House set to vote on bills to ban gender-affirming care for young people Republicans in Congress are making a renewed push before the end of the year to pass major federal restrictions to gender-affirming care for trans minors. The House is set to consider two bills this week, before lawmakers depart for their holiday…
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CDC’s controversial new hep B vaccine guidance: everything you need to know
CDC’s controversial new hep B vaccine guidance: everything you need to know The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just rolled back decades-old guidance that newborns should be offered the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. The agency adopted the recommendation of its vaccine advisory panel known as ACIP, which voted on the policy change at…
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STAT+: More drugmakers set to sign pricing deals with Trump on Friday
STAT+: More drugmakers set to sign pricing deals with Trump on Friday WASHINGTON — Several drugmakers are expected to sign pricing agreements with the Trump administration on Friday, according to four people familiar with the plans, who were not authorized to speak publicly. The agreements would be the latest in a series of deals in…