23 May, 2026
Allison covers what hot startups are getting up to, and who’s financing them. She is also co-host of the weekly biotech podcast, “The Readout Loud.” You can reach Allison on…
WASHINGTON — A group of Senate Democrats is proposing that Medicare cover in-home care, which would create the first new benefit in the program since the Part D retail drug…
The Trump administration has made sweeping changes to vaccine policy over the past year justified by invocations of patients’ “personal autonomy.” In January, Department of Health and Human Services head…
Below is a lightly edited, AI-generated transcript of the “First Opinion Podcast” interview with Shelley Wood and Eric Topol. Be sure to sign up for the weekly “First Opinion Podcast”…
Allison covers what hot startups are getting up to, and who’s financing them. She is also co-host of the weekly biotech podcast, “The Readout Loud.” You can reach Allison on…

Abridge, Highmark Health testing use of AI for prior authorizations| STAT

Abridge is partnering with payer-provider Highmark Health to develop an artificial intelligence tool that would facilitate in-visit insurance approvals, the companies announced on Tuesday. Abridge, which sells ambient AI scribes that listen to patient visits and write doctors’ notes, has heavily marketed its new coding and billing tools this year in its $250 million and […]

1 min read

Shutting down a zombie biotech

Adam Feuerstein is a senior writer and biotech columnist, reporting on the crossroads of drug development, business, Wall Street, and biotechnology. He is also a co-host of the weekly biotech podcast The Readout Loud and author of the newsletter Adam’s Biotech Scorecard. You can reach Adam on Signal at stataf.54. How does a biotech company […]

1 min read

Kennedy cancels $500 million in mRNA vaccine contracts

Helen Branswell covers issues broadly related to infectious diseases, including outbreaks, preparedness, research, and vaccine development. Follow her on Mastodon and Bluesky. You can reach Helen on Signal at hbranswell.01. Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday announced that the government’s emergency preparedness agency will no longer fund work on messenger RNA vaccines, delivering […]

2 mins read

Rising anti-vaccine sentiment in U.S. will exact heavy toll overseas

Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates expressed concern Monday about growing vaccine skepticism in the United States, suggesting that the exporting of claims by the anti-vaccine movement will likely extract a bigger death toll internationally than domestically and could also put the possibility of ridding the world of measles permanently out of reach. “Vaccine skepticism in the […]

5 mins read