Medicine
At least five candidates vie to become the next WHO leader, as questions over U.S. role loom
At least five candidates are in the running to become the next director-general of the WHO, a job that will come with extraordinary challenges.
How Big Tobacco flooded the FDA with public comments to kill a menthol cigarette ban
Virtually all of the 175,000 public comments on a 2022 FDA proposal to ban menthol cigarettes were form letters, most echoing tobacco industry talking points.
Two-year NHS waiting times reveal system’s struggle with rise in ADHD and autism awareness
NHS assessment bottlenecks have knock-on effects, leading to delays in medical help and lack of access to specialist supportThat NHS boards have imposed minimum two-year waiting t…
Experience: a brain surgeon dropped part of my skull on the floor
I was a healthy 34-year-old when a mass of blood vessels ruptured close to my brain. It took three neurosurgeons and a risky 16-hour operation to fix meOn a Sunday in May 2017, I …
President Trump's FDA commissioner nom, Dr. Heidi Overton, faces Senators' questions
Dr. Heidi Overton has been nominated to be the new FDA commissioner. The Senate HELP committee pressed her on vaccines, mifepristone, food safety and whether she can tell the pres…
How to limit rat numbers? Train humans
No matter how much poison you put out, rats continue to thrive. So D.C.'s Rat Rangers are trying education (of people, not the rats). They take residents into back alleys to illum…
‘Her mental health deteriorated’: family forced to wait years for autism diagnosis
A mother describes the frustration of endless waiting lists and difficulties getting appointments so her teenage daughter can get the help she requiresFor Rosalyn, the battle for …
NHS bodies in England impose two-year minimum wait for ADHD and autism assessments
Patient groups decry ‘scandalous’ delays as four integrated care boards take step due to soaring demand for diagnosesNHS bodies are forcing people with suspected attention deficit…
STAT+: FDA commissioner nominee Heidi Overton keeps opinions to herself in Senate hearing
Senators focused on asking Overton about vaccines, abortion, and vapes.
The FDA’s Overton era, and dispatches from Shanghai
The Readout LOUD is going international this week with a dispatch from Shanghai, along with notes on the FDA's Overton era.
Senate Finance committee backs Chris Klomp, advancing him to full Senate vote
Klomp, a behind-the-scenes HHS power player, is likely to be confirmed as second-in-command to RFK Jr.
Trump’s FDA nominee says MMR shot is ‘safe and effective’ at Senate hearing
Dr Heidi Overton faces confirmation hearing weeks after standing behind Trump as he suggested shot could be ‘quite lethal’Dr Heidi Overton, Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the US F…
STAT+: Indonesian ruling against ‘patent evergreening’ by pharma industry sends critical message, patient advocates say
A recent court decision in Indonesia sends an important message to other countries to challenge the pharma industry's use of "patent evergreening," patient advocates say.
Toxic bosses: why do companies protect managers who make working life hell?
Bullying, manipulation and intimidation can destroy lives, yet abusive authoritarians continue to rise to the top. How do they get away with it – and can they be brought to heel?W…
STAT+: Kyverna’s cell therapy shows lasting autoimmune benefit
Kyverna Therapeutics is one step closer to launching the first cell therapy for an autoimmune disease, with new data in hand showing many patients remained off of other therapies …
STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about the FDA commissioner nominee, a Lilly partnership in China, and more
During a Senate hearing today, Heidi Overton, the nominee to lead the FDA, plans to emphasize the need for speed and efficiency to compete with China
STAT+: The rise of the AI-native radiology practice
In this edition of STAT Health Tech: Radiology startups say owning a practice makes it easier to develop AI tools, and insurers oppose RPM changes.
One of the most contagious diseases on the planet is having its worst U.S. outbreak since 1991
The CDC has added a single measles death to its online counter. In the last few weeks, four unvaccinated people have died from measles in Pennsylvania, according to state official…
STAT+: Why Gilead can’t stop talking about its ambitions in immunology
Gilead Sciences’ top executives have been emphatically bullish about the biotech’s years-long push to develop drugs for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
New research suggests human actions could be driving increase in disease outbreaks
Infectious disease outbreaks are on the rise worldwide. A new analysis finds human actions, from deforestation to climate change, are partly responsible.
Opinion: STAT+: A moment of reckoning for preventive cardiology and the precision medicine revolution
“The epidemiology and genetics of heart attack and stroke risk, for now, seem to have outpaced what more we can actually do about it,” writes cardiologist Vishal Khetpal.
Opinion: Measles almost killed me. Now I’m a doctor — and I’m scared of what’s happening
Jewel Mullen was in kindergarten in 1961 when she almost died from measles. Now a physician, measles’ return frightens her.
STAT+: Heidi Overton, Trump’s pick for FDA head, to face questions at Senate hearing
Heidi Overton, Trump's pick for FDA head, will face questions at a Senate hearing. Follow along with our live blog.
STAT+: Trump boast on drug pricing policy overstated state-level interest in federal program
President Trump and his aides boasted that every U.S. state wanted to participate in a drug pricing initiative through Medicaid. Several states said they weren't sure yet.