STAT+: After a rough stretch, mRNA gets a boost — at least for now
The mRNA technology that built Moderna and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccines and is now being used to build cancer vaccines has been through political whiplash.…
But now, with clinical success from Moderna and Merck on using a perso…
“I don’t know how this will be received among parts of our society tha…
’ There’s a possibility that people will say, ‘Oh, if we can vaccinate…
Opinion: The most shocking thing about the latest statistics on CTE in football is that we find them so shocking
A new study led by Boston-area researchers has set my media feeds abuzz with the finding that nearly 1 in 4 NFL players in their sample had CTE at time of death.…
CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is a degenerative brain dise…
It is caused by repeated concussions and smaller non-concussive hits.
As shocking as the 25% statistic is to many, the authors have suggeste…
STAT+: FDA approves Protagonist and Takeda’s drug for rare blood cancer
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a new treatment for a rare and slow-growing cancer that causes an overproduction of red blood cells.…
The drug, called rusfertide, was developed by the biotech company Prot…
It will be sold by Takeda, the Japanese pharma company, under the bran…
Administered via a weekly injection, Mimrylo was cleared to treat poly…
STAT+: Alnylam defends heart disease drugs after failure of AstraZeneca’s Wainua
When AstraZeneca on Friday detailed the failed trial of its drug Wainua in a heart condition known as ATTR-CM, the bad news, according to one school of thought, extended to Alnylam Pharmaceuticals.…
Some analysts interpreted the study’s miss as a broad sign that silenc…
Now, Alnylam is mounting a defense of its silencers, with ramification…
STAT+: A Novartis drug cut inflammation. Can it improve heart outcomes?
A newly acquired Novartis drug successfully lowered signs of inflammation in a midstage study, as experts wait to hear how the company plans to advance the drug as a potential cardiovascular treatment.…
In the Phase 2 TRANQUILITY study, the drug, pacibekitug, led to sustai…
Investigators reported a dose-dependent drop in biomarker levels on ce…
Pacibekitug is an antibody that targets IL-6, or interleukin-6, a prot…
Juul gets OK to sell updated vaping device with age-gating technology
WASHINGTON — Vaping company Juul Labs on Friday received federal permission to sell an updated version of its e-cigarette, which includes an optional age-verification system designed to prevent underage use.…
The decision from the Food and Drug Administration allows the company …
In recent years, the company has had to lay off hundreds of employees …
Opinion: The unintended consequences of the Lindsay Clancy case
Much of the focus on the Lindsay Clancy case has been on the reported systemic failures of the mental health system, with the hope that this case will revamp the approach to maternal mental health.…
We, as forensic and reproductive psychiatrists, agree that the system …
But we are concerned that this focus could have a dangerous unintended…
In an ideal world, all mothers would have easy access to reproductive …
STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about an AstraZeneca trial failure, a ‘monstrous’ conflict of interest, and more
And so, another working week will soon come to a close.Not a moment too soon, yes?This is, you may recall, our treasured signal to daydream about weekend plans.…
Our agenda is still taking shape, but we plan on promenading with the …
Pharmalot to a speakeasy and, if time permits, holding another listeni…
STAT+: In autopsy of failed heart disease study, AstraZeneca raises broader questions about silencer drugs
AstraZeneca on Friday detailed the surprise failure of a closely watched heart disease clinical trial, laying out how its experimental drug offered no additional benefits for patients who were largely already on another type of medicine — the latest twist in a multi-billion dollar market.…
The study indicated that patients with a progressive condition known a…
Most participants were on a stabilizer at the outset of the trial.
The trial’s miss has had implications not just for AstraZeneca and its…
STAT+: Vaccines take center stage at federal autism advisory committee
Vaccines took center stage at the federal autism advisory committee meeting Thursday, as committee members explicitly pointed to vaccines as a potential cause of autism, even though the link has been routinely debunked.…
“We don’t want to close the door for any potential trigger, and that w…
“We are quite open to investigating anything and everything.
STAT+: FDA approves Roivant therapy for rare autoimmune disease
The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved a new medicine from Roivant and its subsidiary Priovant for the treatment of dermatomyositis, a rare autoimmune disease characterized by muscle weakness and a painful skin rash.…
The drug, called brepocitinib, will be marketed under the brand name L…
It’s a pill taken once daily.
High doses of steroids and other immune-suppressing drugs are the curr…