The Readout Loud

This episode of STAT's Read Out Loud podcast covers three major biotech stories: declining trust in science in America and its policy impacts, mixed results from Unicure's gene therapy for Huntington's disease, and a lawsuit by Beam Therapeutics against a Chinese competitor over alleged intellectual property theft. A new "trust in science" reporter explains how mistrust stems from emotional factors rather than simple disbelief.

The episode covers FDA leadership changes with Heidi Overton's nomination as commissioner, the resurgence of osteoporosis drug development, a major radiopharmaceutical merger, and the rapid rise of Chinese biotech as a global competitor. Reporter Jason Mast discusses observations from Shanghai about China's efficiency in drug development and the competitive dynamics between U.S. and Chinese biotech industries.

A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration's four-year cap on international student visas, providing relief to foreign researchers who are increasingly choosing to study elsewhere due to visa restrictions and policy uncertainty. Meanwhile, psychedelic therapeutics continue gaining momentum with Definium's positive LSD trial results for anxiety treatment, and major pharmaceutical companies like Eli Lilly and AbbVie are acquiring psychedelic developers.

Two major cardiovascular drug trials—Novartis's lipoprotein(a) therapy and Novo Nordisk's IL-6 inflammation drug—recently failed, disappointing investors and the industry despite being genetically validated targets. The failures signal a broader reckoning about over-reliance on genetic data in drug development and may significantly dampen investment in expensive, long-term cardiovascular outcome trials.

This biotech podcast episode covers Sarepta's new CEO appointment and GSK's cost-cutting measures, an FDA advisory panel's overwhelming rejection of Capricor's Duchenne muscular dystrophy drug due to statistical analysis plan changes, and investigative reporting on Ronald Fisher, a fugitive convicted of rape in 2005 who lived under the alias Richard Graydon while working as a biotech executive for multiple major pharmaceutical companies.

This STAT News podcast episode covers three major biotech stories: an investigation into telehealth company LifeMD's questionable GLP-1 prescribing practices, a lawsuit between Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly over deceptive advertising, and an in-depth feature on Matt Wilsey's mission to develop a gene therapy for his daughter Grace's ultra-rare NGLY1 deficiency disease.

The Readout Loud podcast discusses Eli Lilly's $2.8 billion acquisition of Atai Life Sciences for its psychedelic depression treatment, Merck's FDA approval of Lipfendra (the first oral PCSK9 cholesterol pill), and Biogen's controversial tau-targeting Alzheimer's drug Dyrannosin. The episode features bioethicist Jonathan Kimmelman examining Kalshi's new prediction markets for clinical trial outcomes, discussing both their potential to improve drug development decisions and risks of compromising trial integrity.

STAT's biotech podcast discusses the employer-based health insurance crisis in America, featuring reporting from Bob Herman on rising premiums and an interview with whistleblower Chris Deacon, who exposed fraud at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield in New Jersey and advocates for employers to challenge industry practices.

This biotech podcast episode discusses major pharmaceutical M&A activity, FDA regulatory changes under acting commissioner Kyle Diamantis, and a controversial compassionate use case involving Eli Lilly's obesity drug retatrutide allegedly given to a well-connected 79-year-old man (possibly President Trump, though the White House denies it).

This episode of The Read Out Loud covers two major topics: Unicure's approval pathway for its Huntington's disease gene therapy after FDA leadership changes, and a progress report on RFK Jr.'s promises as HHS Secretary, showing mixed results across vaccine policy, psychiatric medications, and nutrition guidelines.

STAT's biotech podcast covers Eli Lilly's gene-editing cholesterol drug data going viral, ASCO conference previews, and an interview with biotech executive Jeremy Levin about his new book arguing that American biotech leadership is endangered by institutional decay, short-term investing, FDA upheaval, and China's strategic rise.

This episode of The Readout Loud covers highlights from STAT's Breakthrough Summit West in San Francisco, including discussions on FDA leadership, biotech competition with Chinese companies, Eli Lilly's obesity drug data, and a detailed interview with Retro Biosciences CEO Joe Betz-Lacroix about his longevity company's clinical progress and fundraising plans.

This episode of The Readout Loud covers FDA Commissioner Marty Makary's resignation and his replacement by acting commissioner Kyle Diamantis, alongside the political vulnerability of Senate Health Committee Chair Bill Cassidy ahead of a Louisiana Republican primary. The hosts and DC correspondents Lizzie Lawrence and Chelsea Ceruzzo analyze how vaping policy, abortion politics, and Trump loyalty shaped both developments.