Our colleague Casey Ross joins us to tell the bombshell story of how the nation's largest health insurer used a computer algorithm to deny patient care and boost its profitability. Then, biotech veteran Michael Gilman calls in to offer a behind-the-scenes peek at what it’s like to be a startup CEO in this economic downturn — and which cocktail recipes help make it bearable. We also discuss a pioneering approval for a genome-editing medicine.

283: A CRISPR milestone, algorithms amok, & biotech mixology

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.

Business

Investing

Careers

Management & Marketing

Business News

Shopping

On this week’s "Readout LOUD," we’re live in San Francisco at STAT’s Breakthrough Summit West. AI is a big theme this year, everywhere, so on that note, we chat with our AI correspondent — and recent Pulitzer finalist — Casey Ross, who sat down on stage to discuss AI-centered drug discovery with both NVIDIA and Google-backed Isomorphic Labs.
We also discuss this week’s biotech news, including yet more obesity drug data, this time from Roche, and the closing of Novartis’ acquisition of MorphoSys.

306: Live! From the STAT Breakthrough Summit West

This week on "The Readout LOUD," STAT senior infectious diseases reporter Helen Branswell walks us through ongoing H5N1 outbreak in the U.S. and issues with monitoring the spread. And in a bit of shameless self-promotion, we’ll talk to our colleagues Bob Herman and Casey Ross about being named Pulitzer finalists in investigative reporting for their reporting on United Healthcare’s use of algorithms in coverage decisions. We'll hear what’s happened since their explosive work was published last year.

305: Everything you need to know about H5N1 bird flu

The removal of small amounts of brain tissue from desperately ill patients, done as part of a Mount Sinai research project, triggered alarm bells at the Food and Drug Administration and has raised broader questions about the scientific and ethical justification for live-brain research. Journalist and STAT contributor Katherine Eban joins “The Readout LOUD” podcast to discuss the results of a two-year investigation. We also discuss Novartis’ effort to acquire MorphoSys, and the latest news on Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster obesity drugs with Elaine Chen, the newest member of STAT’s biotech reporting team.

304: Controversial brain tissue research, obesity drug sales and Novartis’ M&A drama

We bring on biotech veteran Clive Meanwell to discuss his new obesity startup, Metsera, and running head-to-head trials against Wegovy and Zepbound. We also dissect how Teledoc CEO Jason Gorevic parted ways with the company after spending 15 years building the telemedicine field.
Here's where you can subscribe to our biotech newsletter, The Readout. And here's where you can subscribe to our newsletter on the business (and secretive inner workings) of the U.S. health care industry, Health Care Inc.

303: A new obesity startup, an acquisition gone wrong, & the future of Teledoc

How would you spend $13 billion in cash? Is biotech stale? And remember Dendreon?
We cover all that and more this week on “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s biotech podcast. We discuss a multibillion-dollar deal from Vertex Pharmaceuticals with sweeping implications and a lengthy backstory. We also explain why gas prices are weighing on biotech, and make a surprise announcement.

283: A CRISPR milestone, algorithms amok, & biotech mixology

Download our free app to listen on your phone