373: Party in biotech land and AstraZeneca’s miscalculation
Where did former vaccine regulator Peter Marks find a new job? How did a math error cost AstraZeneca a rare disease candidate? And is biotech back?
We discuss all that on this week’s episode of the “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s biotech podcast. We bring on Mizuho health care strategist Jared Holz to discuss the rebound in biotech stocks and sentiment.
We also talk about Marks’ new role at Eli Lilly after leaving the Food and Drug Administration, an attempt by a biotech to revive a rare disease drug shelved by AstraZeneca, and new funds raised by China-focused Expedition Therapeutics.
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372: A pharma C-suite shakeup and Trump's deal with Pfizer
How will we look back on Emma Walmsley's tenure as GSK's CEO? Why did one of the FDA's top drug officials call out an obscure lupus drug on LinkedIn? And will we ever stop talking about the pharma patent cliff?Adam is out this week, so Allison and Elaine dive into the latest news, starting with another biotech acquisition and a new CEO at GSK. Then, they invite health policy researcher Stacie Dusetzina to break down President Trump's "most-favored nation" pricing deal with Pfizer.
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371: A gene therapy success in Huntington's and Trump's autism announcement
We bring on UniQure CEO Matt Kapusta to discuss the company's announcement this week that its one-time treatment for Huntington’s disease significantly slowed down the neurological condition in a key study.
We also chat about the Trump's administration initiatives on autism. Officials this week warned pregnant women not to take Tylenol, saying that it may cause autism, and they announced an FDA decision to make a decades-old drug called leucovorin available as a treatment for people with certain autism symptoms. To unpack the implications of these statements, we bring on by Ari Ne'eman, an assistant professor of health policy and management at Harvard’s school of public health who researches how policies affect people with disabilities.
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370: Pharma sours on the U.K., plus biotech M&A's quiet roll
STAT's European correspondent Andrew Joseph calls in from the U.K. to the podcast to dissect why companies like Merck and GSK are putting their money elsewhere.
We also discuss the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, meeting and biotech M&A, including Roche's $3.5 billion acquisition of 89bio and its MASH drug, announced this week.
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369: Trump, Chinese biotech, and an industry career reshaped by illness
Listeners of this podcast probably know pharma consultant Mike Rea for his annual ranking of drug company R&D productivity. But this week, he penned a poignant personal essay explaining how some medical setbacks have impacted his professional life. He joins us to discuss.
But first, President Trump is considering a significant crackdown on drugs invented in China, according to a recent report in the New York Times. Industry support for the possible measures are mixed, however. While strengthening the U.S. biopharma industry garners wide support, so too does the freedom to source innovative drugs from Chinese biotechs.
Ireland