341: NIH funding cuts, a U.S. brain drain, and bold claims from AI drug developers
We bring on biotech reporter Jonathan Wosen to discuss the NIH's decision to dramatically cut funding for overhead costs paid to research institutions and the potential implications for U.S. biomedical innovation. We also chat with health tech reporter Brittany Trang about the claims that two drug developers, Absci and Generate:Biomedicines, have made about the capabilities of their artificial intelligence technologies, and why some experts are skeptical.
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26:39
340: Crisis in CRISPR world, RFK Jr.'s promises, and a novel non-opioid pain drug
We bring on our colleague Jason Mast to discuss the dramatic downturn in the once-swaggering field of CRISPR gene editing. We also talk about the advancement of RFK Jr.'s nomination to be HHS secretary, the latest pharma earnings, and the approval of a non-opioid pain drug from Vertex Pharmaceuticals.
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34:45
339: RFK Jr.'s confirmation hearings, MASH drugs, and a controversial obesity ad
Our colleague Rachel Cohrs Zhang joins us to break down RFK Jr.’s confirmation hearings, including some contentious questions about vaccines and autism from Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). But first, we chat about Akero Therapeutics and the results reported this week from a study of its experimental drug that showed, for the first time, reversal of cirrhosis in patients with severe MASH. We critique that Hims & Hers commercial. And lastly, we talk about a new fund from biotech VC Curie.Bio and the money it’s invested in a still-stealthy gene therapy company trying to tackle ALS.
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34:29
338: Chinese biotechs, a WHO departure, and post-JPM thoughts
We go over our closing thoughts from the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, including the chatter around Chinese drugs and a surprise run-in with a past cohost. Then, STAT's infectious disease reporter Helen Branswell joins us to explain the implications of Trump's decision to pull the U.S. out of the WHO.
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33:09
337: Eli Lilly CEO on Trump, obesity drugs, and a guidance miss
We're live at the J.P Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco! We bring on Eli Lilly CEO Dave Ricks for a wide-ranging conversation about his views on the incoming Trump administration, the effects of Medicare's drug price negotiation, Lilly's recent disappointing guidance, pricing of the company's obesity medication Zepbound, and more. We also discuss the latest news from the J.P. Morgan conference, including M&A deals, licensing of drugs from China, and the broader sentiment in the industry.