How to get gene-editing medicines to families that need it
In May, news broke of a biomedical first: the on-demand design and clinical use of a personalized gene editor for a baby boy born with a rare, severe genetic condition. At the STAT Summit in October, the child’s treating physician from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the lead on developing the gene editor […]
How to respond to dangerous changes to U.S. public health
A dangerous idea is on the table: ending universal hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination in the United States. For many years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that every baby born in this country receive the vaccine, preventing infections and deaths from a disease that causes liver cancer and deadly cirrhosis. (Most other […]
Fixing the leak: How to end the £22 billion annual taxpayer losses at the Bank of England
The Bank of England increased its interest rates over recent years, aimed at reducing inflation. But this has also had an unintended effect on the Bank of England’s massive government bond buying – ‘quantitative easing’ – programme. After a period of making significant profits on this programme, the Bank of England is now making record […]
At AHRQ, cuts undermine federal research on how to improve health care
WASHINGTON — A small federal agency that studies how to improve the health care system has been rendered functionally “incapacitated” after much of its staff was laid off or retired, according to three people, including two former employees, who spoke with STAT. The loss of most of the workers at the Agency for Healthcare Research […]
Reforming gambling taxation: How to lift half a million children out of poverty
A key priority for the government’s upcoming child poverty strategy should be to remove the two-child limit and scrap the household benefit cap. These measures would cost around £3 billion and, while we recognise there are fiscal constraints facing the government, there are options on the table right now which could meet these costs and […]
How to Use Clean Energy Tax Credits Before They Disappear
This story originally appeared on Grist and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. The “one big beautiful bill” that President Donald Trump signed into law on July 4 is set to upend many aspects of American life, including climate policy. The law, which Republicans backed en masse, not only derails the nation’s efforts to […]
How to watch the Polish presidential election like a pro – POLITICO
The presidential race will have a big say on whether Poland plays in the EU’s big league or if it retreats back into isolation alongside other populist-governed countries in Central Europe like Hungary and Slovakia. During PiS’s eight years in power it got into fights with the EU and other allies over efforts to politicize […]
How to kick special interests out of U.S. health care
In “We’ve Got You Covered,” Liran Einav and Amy Finkelstein describe America’s existing patchwork of health care payment arrangements as a “teardown.” I agree. I support downsizing the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), eliminating many programs, rolling back regulations, and creating a new system modeled on Social Security that will be simpler, less […]
Regulatory barriers are forcing drug discovery to move to China
Five years ago, U.S. pharmaceutical companies didn’t license any new drugs from China. By 2024, one-third of their new compounds were coming from Chinese biotechnology firms. Why are U.S. drugmakers sending their business to China? As in many other industries, it’s so much cheaper to synthesize new compounds inside Chinese biotechnology firms once a novel […]
How to think about Trump’s pharma tariffs — before they hit
Ed Silverman, a senior writer and Pharmalot columnist at STAT, has been covering the pharmaceutical industry for nearly three decades. For weeks, President Trump has made it clear that tariffs are going to be slapped on pharmaceuticals. But that is about the only thing that is clear. For the moment, his administration has opened a […]