STAT

Vera Therapeutics said that its recently approved drug Trutakna stabilized kidney function and reduced the risk of kidney-related death and other complications in patients with a chronic autoimmune kidney disease. https://www.statnews.com/2026/09/15/vera-kidney-drug-trutakna-shows-strong-phase-3-results-igan/

Kennedy, who previously downplayed his anti-vaccine activism, has now made it a key element in midterm elections and central to his legacy as HHS secretary. https://www.statnews.com/2026/09/17/rfk-jr-anti-vaccination-activism-childrens-health-defense-conference/

“The maternal mental health needs of women like me have been badly underprioritized in American society,” writes Meg LeDuc. https://www.statnews.com/2026/09/23/lindsay-clancy-patrick-60-minutes-reproductive-psychiatry-mentally-ill-mothers/

Some health insurers push back on a Medicare proposal that would disrupt how doctors can bill for remotely monitoring patients' health. https://www.statnews.com/2026/09/23/unitedhealth-cvs-pushback-medicare-plan-rpm-abuse/

A recently-launched Medicare experiment that pays for technology to help people manage chronic conditions is expanding. https://www.statnews.com/2026/09/15/medicare-access-chronic-care-management-tech-pilot-expanding/

Race between Amy Acton and Vivek Ramaswamy is being shaped by affordable insurance, Medicaid cuts, vaccine policy, trust in science, and lessons from Covid. https://www.statnews.com/2026/09/22/ohio-governor-election-health-care-policy-acton-ramaswamy/

How one state's governor's race is a test of whether Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s MAHA movement has an enduring political draw. https://www.statnews.com/2026/09/21/rfk-jr-maha-movement-gop-midterm-candidates/

“We should be strengthening our investment in the NIH, not dismantling it,” writes Reed Jobs. https://www.statnews.com/2026/09/21/nih-budget-double-100-billion-reed-jobs/

Amid a civil war in Sudan, it’s now difficult for people with cancer and other long-term illnesses to receive treatment that was once readily available. https://www.statnews.com/2026/09/18/sudan-civil-war-cancer-treatment-wartime-tom-catena-mother-mercy-hospital/

Documents released as part of a lawsuit shows how initial hiccups led to delays in care delivery https://www.statnews.com/2026/09/15/medicare-wiser-ai-prior-authorization-pilot-rushed-launch-delayed-care/

"Restoring public trust in science doesn’t have a simple solution. That’s OK. A problem this complex demands a broad lens, humility, and silo-busting." https://www.statnews.com/2026/09/14/trust-in-science-academia-research-communication-listening/

Starting residency at 72 isn’t for the faint of heart. But that’s what Dawn Zuidegeest-Craft is doing. https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/24/medical-school-late-in-life-np-to-md/

The problematic use of guest editors was spotlighted last week when a genetics journal retracted nearly an entire special issue. https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/24/science-journal-retractions-highlight-guest-editor-special-edition-problem/

RFK Jr.'s apparent contradiction on vaccines and peptides reflects a deeper belief: Americans have a right to try and can choose their own risks. https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/06/rfk-jr-apparent-contradiction-peptides-vaccines-medical-libertarianism/

Specific changes in two genes appear to help predict whether patients will lose substantial weight on GLP-1 drugs used to treat obesity — and whether the drugs will cause nausea or vomiting. https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/08/23andme-genetic-changes-weight-loss-glp1/

The top U.S. official responsible for public health on cruise ships is stepping down, according to an internal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announcement obtained by STAT. https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/07/luis-rodriguez-retires-cdc-vessel-sanitation-program-amid-hantavirus-outbreak/

A suspected hantavirus outbreak at sea, the World Cup, and a U.S. that cut itself off from the World Health Organization. https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/05/hantavirus-cruise-ship-outbreak-who-world-cup/

A provocative new study suggests that mechanisms other than GLP-1 could cause weight loss without side effects. https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/16/glp1-weight-loss-new-approach/

Seeking to cap the cost of medicines, the Maryland Prescription Drug Affordability Board set an upper payment limit for a widely prescribed diabetes treatment, marking only the second time a state panel has taken such a step. https://www.statnews.com/pharmalot/2026/04/13/maryland-affordability-board-sets-first-price-cap-diabetes-medicine/

Trump promised to clamp down on health insurers. His policies are enriching them. Next year’s Medicare Advantage rate boost is the latest move to spare insurers. https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/09/medicare-advantage-rates-latest-trump-policy-helps-health-insurers/

#Breaking: Cigna will exit ACA individual markets next year, adding to tumult for patients. The health insurer wants to focus on more promising parts of its business. https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/30/cigna-exits-aca-market-2027-369-thousand-people-affected/

Modern randomized controlled trials often rely on marginalized populations abroad. https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/27/medical-school-education-health-care-inequity-cdc-trial-tuskegee/

New AI tools could screen existing CT scans to asses risk for heart disease. But, who'll pay for it, and will it improve health outcomes? https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/15/coronary-artery-calcium-ai-opportunistic-screening-examined/

Chris Klomp has already played a major role in the Trump administration and its Make America Healthy Again agenda. https://www.statnews.com/2026/09/16/senators-highlight-chris-klomp-power-rfk-jr-second-in-command/

Scientists have made mice with half a brain, then filled them with human organoids — possibly opening new avenues for research but also raising ethical issues. https://www.statnews.com/2026/09/16/human-brain-organoids-neuro-chimeric-mice-study-published-nature/

If humans journey to Mars in 2035, exercise will be critical to keeping their hearts strong in microgravity. https://www.statnews.com/2026/09/15/heart-research-in-space-cardiovascular-health-nasa-astronauts-mars-mission/

Erectile dysfunction is more than a sexual issue. https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/13/erectile-dysfunction-cardiovascular-disease-dementia-risk/

Exclusive: Heidi Overton plans to tell senators she will speed up biomedical research, working with FDA staff. https://www.statnews.com/2026/09/23/heidi-overton-fda-nominee-opening-statement-senate-hearing-clinical-trials/a

Other private equity-owned hospital chains have collapsed in recent years, so the stakes are high for Quorum. https://www.statnews.com/2026/09/23/quorum-hospitals-nonprofit-conversion-increases-debt-load/

"I know what it means to be searching for an explanation to what ails you, and a way to fix it," writes STAT's new trust-in-science reporter, Nicholas Florko. https://www.statnews.com/2026/09/21/trust-in-science-nick-florko-on-understanding-growing-scientific-mistrust/

President Trump nominated Erica Schwartz to be director of the CDC, tapping a former public health leader for a position that has been filled mostly on a part-time or interim basis during the second Trump administration. https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/16/erica-schwartz-cdc-director-nominee/

RFK Jr. named eight new members to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an influential panel of experts who assess the evidence behind a wide array of preventive medical services. https://www.statnews.com/2026/09/17/kennedy-names-eight-new-members-uspstf-task-force/

In a trial, metastatic pancreatic cancer patients on the medicine lived twice as long as those on chemotherapy. https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/13/revolution-medicines-successful-treatment-pancreatic-cancer-daily-pill/

A handful of hospitals are launching their own chatbots, a risky bet aimed at better serving current patients and gaining new ones. https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/13/hospitals-launch-chatbots-creating-new-funnel-for-patients/

The director of WHO's Eastern Mediterranean region is weighing whether to run to be the next director-general at a time of tumult over Iran and beyond. https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/14/next-who-director-general-candidate-qa-with-hanan-balkhy/

How sport betting apps hook users. https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/10/sports-betting-apps-gambling-addiction-users-status-report/

CMS greenlights more than 150 digital health companies for its ACCESS experiment, a new program for tech-backed chronic care with outcome-aligned payments. https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/13/cms-access-medicare-chronic-care-pilot-program-participants/

The FDA will convene an outside panel of advisers to discuss whether to allow compounding pharmacies to manufacture certain peptides. https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/15/peptides-fda-panel-to-discuss-broader-access-compounding/

As Kennedy embarks on a gauntlet of Hill appearances, this is what we will be watching for: https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/16/kennedy-congress-testimony-balance-maha-goals-trump-priorities/

Last summer, Bain Capital Life Sciences announced that it would form a new biotech startup, created with $300 million and five drugs licensed from Bristol Myers Squibb. Now that company has a name, a CEO, and a mission. https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/15/beeline-medicines-bain-bristol-myers-squibb-lupus/

RFK Jr. focused on President Trump's health care agenda and largely avoided vaccines. https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/16/rfk-jr-congressional-hearing-trump-health-agenda/

Researchers have identified a very rare genetic variant that is associated with higher odds of lung cancer in "never smokers." https://www.statnews.com/2026/09/17/rare-gene-variant-boosts-lung-cancer-risk-25-fold-in-non-smokers/

“Researchers must seize this opportunity to examine how social media — and its regulation — impacts teenagers,” writes Wellcome’s Camilla Iannone. https://www.statnews.com/2026/09/22/social-media-bans-australia-uk-teen-mental-health/

A few transplant patients in a small study were able to stop using immunosuppressive drugs, thanks to pre-transplant cell therapy. https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/17/organ-transplant-new-approach-immunosuppression-nature-communications-study/