Marty Makary was the worst FDA commissioner in 25 years. I have covered the agency that long. I don't say this lightly. He failed at the political, organizational, and scientific aspects of the job. Here's why: www.statnews.com/2026/05/12/m...

A Friday footnote: The New England Journal of Medicine has published the Moderna influenza vaccine data -- the same that led the FDA's CBER division to refuse to review the vaccine under Vinay Prasad. First, the efficacy slide.

"He drove fast cars, drank red wine, and pissed people off." @matthewherper.bsky.social on Craig Venter www.statnews.com/2026/04/30/c...

How an outsider crept into Eli Lilly’s top ranks — and plans to drive its business forward  www.statnews.com/2026/03/25/e... via @statnews.com

How to get rich on out-of-network medical bills -- and how to get angry reading about it. www.statnews.com/2026/03/18/n...

The best take I've seen on Prasad's 2nd exit from FDA comes from @matthewherper.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2026/03/08/v...

The extremism of the FDA’s Marks and Prasad has come with costs www.statnews.com/2026/03/05/v... via @statnews.com

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary: "Vinay Prasad is a genius...some of the drugs they are criticizing him for that got rejected either had stone cold, normal trial results, or he wasn’t even involved." www.statnews.com/2026/02/26/m...

5 key people to watch at HHS after Trump’s shake-up www.statnews.com/2026/02/19/h... via @statnews.com

NIH Director Bhattacharya to lead CDC after O’Neill’s exit www.statnews.com/2026/02/18/c... via @statnews.com

Upcoming meeting of federal vaccine panel may be postponed after HHS missed deadlines www.statnews.com/2026/02/18/c... via @statnews.com

"Well that didn’t take long." @matthewherper.bsky.social for @statnews.com on why the FDA's abrupt reversal on Moderna's flu vaccine is one more sign of chaos at the agency.

This morning, the FDA reversed course. It will now review Moderna's flu vaccine. The FDA's decisions have become far less predictable, but one thing has been constant: vaccine head Vinay Prasad has always chosen the most attention-grabbing action he can. www.statnews.com/2026/02/18/m...

So about TrumpRx: We crunched the numbers today and about half of the drugs on there have cheaper generics available already. www.statnews.com/2026/02/06/t...

Statins don’t cause most of the side effects on package warnings, study finds www.statnews.com/2026/02/05/s... via @statnews.com

Legendary editor Martin Baron on the cuts at the Washington Post. "This is a case study in near-instant, self-inflicted brand destruction" www.linkedin.com/posts/mabaro...

I'm at the Willard Hotel where I've been denied entry and kicked out of the Reclaiming Science event with NIH director Bhattacharya & other top agency leaders. @jocelynkaiser.bsky.social and I registered for the event months ago yet were told capacity was full, even as they let in dozens of others.

Genes influence human lifespan far more than thought, new study suggests www.statnews.com/2026/01/29/h... via @statnews.com

This story complicates things that seem simple, but aren’t. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

STAT gathered nine of the biggest voices in the health influencer space worth keeping an eye on, for better or for worse. List members include: @kkjetelina.bsky.social @drjessicaknurick.bsky.social @jessicamalaty.bsky.social @hubermanlab.com Read the story: www.statnews.com/2026/01/27/w...

U.S. government has lost more than 10,000 STEM Ph.D.s since Trump took office | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

Alex Pretti remembered by health care workers at a Minneapolis vigil as a ‘stand-up guy’ www.statnews.com/2026/01/26/a... via @statnews.com

I think you should always listen to Peter Sandman, even if you don't agree. "Shared decision-making on vaccines is not the enemy," one of the great experts on medical decision-making writes in STAT. www.statnews.com/2026/01/26/s...

Alex Pretti was a colleague at the VA. We hired him to recruit for our trial. He became an ICU nurse- I lover working with him. He was a good kind person who lived to help and these fuckers executed him. White. Hot. Rage.

CDC pauses billions in public health infrastructure grants to states www.statnews.com/2026/01/24/p...

So we are the point of questioning polio vaccines. The chair of ACIP: “I think also, as you look at polio, we need to not be afraid to consider that we are in a different time now than we were then..." www.statnews.com/2026/01/22/v...

RFK Jr. is moving to remake a panel involved in that compensating people who are injured by vaccines. It could have big consequences. By @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2026/01/20/k...

Regeneron's chief scientist is not always impressed by AI, and points to the Covid-era treatment given to President Trump as an example of why. Via @matthewherper.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2026/01/15/r...

UPDATE 2: A senior official in Guinea-Bissau said in a letter that the trial has been cancelled. Guinea-Bissau will continue its current vaccination schedule until the birth dose is implemented for all newborns, the letter said. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Noubar Afeyan, one of biotech's top investors and co-founder of Moderna, says U.S. policy is ‘taking a sledgehammer to our miracle machine.’ Story via @matthewherper.bsky.social for @statnews.com www.statnews.com/2026/01/12/n...

Pazdur warns that politics, ‘chaos’ are damaging FDA www.statnews.com/2026/01/13/r... via @statnews.com

I was very sad to learn of the passing of David Mitchell, a cancer patient who turned his own battle into a fight to make medicines more affordable. Here, @pharmalot.bsky.social gets at why Mitchell was so special. www.statnews.com/2026/01/05/d...

Although some previously recommended vaccines moved to shared decision-making, it looks like at least the 2nd dose of HPV may have been removed entirely. Would appreciate hearing from experts about the effects of dose deletion on coverage, as CMS is saying there will be no coverage consequences.

Federal health officials slash recommended childhood vaccinations under Trump’s directive www.statnews.com/2026/01/05/c... via @statnews.com

The US science enterprise came under extraordinary attack in 2025. Despite the trauma and drama, science soldiered on, @matthewherper.bsky.social reports. www.statnews.com/2025/12/31/2...

The top medical advances of 2025 www.statnews.com/2025/12/31/2... via @statnews.com

Director of NIH neurological disorders institute is ousted, adding to leadership churn www.statnews.com/2025/12/27/n... via @statnews.com

Trump administration’s plan to shrink vaccine schedule sends health sector scrambling www.statnews.com/2025/12/23/t... via @statnews.com

When an NIH scientist began studying a controversial illness, it gave patients with a glimmer of hope. Then came RIFs and spending freezes and too much uncertainty to continue the research. @ericboodman.bsky.social with the 10th part of American Science, Shattered: www.statnews.com/2025/12/22/t...

Vinay Prasad, FDA’s vaccine regulator, waves off criticism in closed-door remarks www.statnews.com/2025/12/04/v...

CDC vaccine advisers appear likely to recommend delaying hepatitis B vaccine birth dose Experts warn such a change will increase number of children By @helenbranswell.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/12/04/c...

Paradigm Health, seeking to use AI to enroll clinical trials, partners with Roche www.statnews.com/2025/12/04/p... via @statnews.com

FDA to lower number of trials required for approval of drugs, other medical products www.statnews.com/2025/12/04/f... via @statnews.com

Three weeks ago @matthewherper.bsky.social described the appointment of Richard Pazdur as the FDA's top drug regulator as welcome news "for patients, drug companies, and anyone who cares about a rigorous" agency. Now he appears to be headed for the exits. www.statnews.com/2025/12/02/r...

Experts say top FDA official’s claim that Covid vaccines caused kids’ deaths requires more evidence; suggested reforms unclear, too. www.statnews.com/2025/11/29/c... via @statnews.com @matthewherper.bsky.social @helenbranswell.bsky.social

12 former FDA commissioners denounce Vinay Prasad's internal memo on vaccine regulation, from @matthewherper.bsky.social: www.statnews.com/2025/12/03/f...

Experts say top FDA official’s claim that Covid vaccines caused kids’ deaths requires more evidence Vinay Prasad ties 10 deaths to the shots, calls for stricter vaccine regulation, in leaked memo www.statnews.com/2025/11/29/c...

Unfortunately, I can confirm that this is true. I have known Carl for 2 decades and he is smart, dedicated, and quite apolitical, focused on science and getting stuff done on important problems. Huge unnecessary loss of leadership and expertise.

What Pfizer’s Metsera deal means for biotech M&A www.statnews.com/2025/11/11/p... via @statnews.com

OMG. Arena BioWorks, an ambitious biomedical institute backed by billionaires, abruptly shuts down www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/a... via @statnews.com