The FDA has rolled out an internal AI tool called Elsa that, unlike its namesake Disney character, can’t seem to let go of mistakes. Our colleague Brittany Trang joins to explain. And it’s always a fun podcast when we can discuss a biotech acquisition. This week, we’ll chat about Sanofi’s $9 billion offer for Blueprint Medicines. But first, our cohost Elaine Chen has a new story published this week that examines the reasons behind Novo Nordisk’s fall and what it’s doing to catch up.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology, or ASCO, kicks off its annual meeting this weekend in Chicago. We discuss what to watch at the meeting. Then, STAT’s infectious disease reporter Helen Branswell joins us to discuss RFK Jr.’s unprecedented move to strike Covid shot recommendations, and the cancellation of a $600 million contract with Moderna to develop, test and license vaccines for subtypes of flu. We also welcome chronic disease reporter Isa Cueto to discuss the key takeaways from a closely watched report from Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again Commission.

We chat about M&A deals picking up, leadership changes at Novo, and recent FDA advisory committee meetings for cancer drugs. We also bring on STAT reporter Jason Mast to talk about the latest research and sentiment at the annual American Society of Cell and Gene Therapy meeting.

We chat about the mixed sentiment in biotech markets these days and a new blood-testing company formed by Elizabeth Holmes' husband. We also bring on STAT's D.C. correspondent Daniel Payne to talk about President Trump's "most-favored nation" drug pricing policy and health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s recent congressional hearing.

Matt Herper joins Adam and Allison to examine Prasad's appointment and the band of outsiders now in charge of U.S. health agencies. He and Adam debate just how disruptive Prasad's tenure could be.

On this week’s episode of the Readout LOUD, we review President Trump’s first 100 days, the return of biotech M&A, strong drug launches, and Eli Lilly’s PBM problem. 

The first 100 days of the Trump administration have had a profound impact on federal health agencies, medical research, health policy and the biotech and pharmaceuticals industries. To help us make sense of all the cuts and policy shifts, we talk with STAT editors Gideon Gil and Zach Tracer for their perspective overseeing STAT’s reporting on science and politics. 

But first, your co-hosts Elaine, Allison and Adam gab about the week’s relatively positive biotech news, including two acquisitions and a series of strong drug launches. What’s a podcast without dipping into obesity, so Elaine will explain the latest maneuverings between Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk around patient access and compounding. 

How did Ireland become a hotspot for pharmaceutical manufacturing? What are the products that will come out of Flagship's latest startup centered around "preemptive medicine"? And who among the co-hosts is the best singer?

We discuss all that and more on this week’s episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s biotech podcast. We chat about the recent bounceback in biotech stocks, disappointing results from Bristol Myers Squibb's schizophrenia drug Cobenfy, new allegations about entrepreneur Sam Waksal, and more.

We also bring on STAT's European correspondent Drew Joseph to talk about the growth of pharma manufacturing in Ireland and how U.S. tariffs would impact global drug supply.

John Crowley, the CEO of industry lobbying group BIO, joins us to discuss the layoffs at the Food and Drug Administration, RFK Jr.'s comments on Novavax's Covid-19 vaccine, and how the trade group is communicating with the Trump administration. Then we discuss the latest news on the stock market and a congressional advisory group's recommendation that $15 billion be invested in U.S. biotechnology to ward off encroaching competition from China.

STAT’s FDA reporter Lizzy Lawrence joins to discuss her inside-the-agency reporting on how Robert F. Kennedy Jr. forced top FDA officials to resign at a time when newly sworn-in FDA Commissioner Makary is still figuring out how to get around the agency’s White Oak campus in suburban Maryland. Then: AstraZeneca presented positive mid-stage results this week on a PCSK9 pill that dramatically lowered cholesterol levels on top of traditional statins. R&D executive Sharon Barr joins to talk about why AstraZeneca views this experimental cardiovascular medicine as a key part of its growth strategy.

Adam, Elaine, and Allison discuss the Trump administration’s plan for huge job cuts and a restructuring of the country’s top health care agencies, the approval of the first drug to treat a devastating rare disease, and the bankruptcy of 23andMe. Then, they bring on the chief executive of startup Altis Labs to discuss new data from a study they conducted with AstraZeneca on an AI tool for cancer drug development.