The Readout Loud

Who deserves credit for a new gene therapy? How do you push stop on a startup? And what does MC Hammer have to do with Theranos?

Why is Scott Gottlieb quitting the FDA? Who will replace him? And what's the proper elastane content of a skinny jean?

Is this the age of the big biotech buyout? Is cold brew a business expense? And how do you pronounce "Gonzalez"?

What did an opioid patriarch say under oath? Why did everyone want to know so badly? And how might it shape the conversation around the opioid crisis?

Is pharma about to have its Big Tobacco moment? Are we overestimating human genetics? And can sales reps rap?

We discuss all that and more on the latest episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s biotech podcast. First, Boston Globe reporter Jonathan Saltzman joins us to discuss the case against Insys Therapeutics, the maker of a powerful painkiller now accused of running a nationwide racketeering scheme. Then Dr. Laura Esserman of the University of California, San Francisco, comes on to break down the debate over genetic testing for cancer risk. And then we give you the need-to-know on an upcoming Senate hearing that will see seven pharma executives get grilled on the rising cost of medicines in the U.S.

When will AI replace your radiologist? What can pharma learn from ketamine? And is liver disease more complicated than anyone thought?

Are we underestimating biology? Will Hot 97 decide the presidency? And who owns the scientific means of production?

Is the drug industry wrong about Alzheimer's disease? Can cryptocurrency fund actual science? And should you feel sorry for Big Pharma?

Is genome editing harder than anyone thought? Will no one weep for Celgene? And is it time to sequence your dog?

Is the FDA going broke? Can video games be drugs? And when did "Flashdance" come out?