The Readout Loud

Will Canada run out of drugs? Should you ever read your partner's diary? And what does Pepe the Frog know about genomics?

What makes an epidemic newsworthy? Can biotech succession succeed? And what's so novel about digital health?

Can apps treat anxiety? Is Gilead Sciences back on track? And are we all just brains in a vat?

Is drug pricing too complex for the Trump administration? Would you recognize Tom Hanks at a party? And what does it mean when famous executives quit?

Can Botox make Big Pharma attractive? What qualifies as a "cabal"? And will the CRISPR patent fight outlive us all?

Is desire a matter of medicine? Can you convict on genealogy? And what do you get the alleged bride who has it all?

Is biohacking a crime? Who came up with the latest CRISPR trick? And did Rage Against the Machine sell out?

Who won ASCO? Is pharma sandbagging its blockbusters? And what do gladiators have to do with biotech?

What can be done to improve HPV vaccination rates in the U.S.? How does the genetic signature of a tumor lead to an effective cancer drug? What’s it like being a doctor and a cancer patient?

Who's guilty of "clickbait"? Are spit tubes a bad business? And why are academics emulating Pusha T?

What should you watch for at the year's biggest cancer conference? Why are people having 23andMe-induced identity crises? And what's it like to be at once a journalist and a cancer patient?

Has drug price reform already stalled? How far has tech come in medicine? And should there be an app for that?

Are law-breaking pharma executives the new mob bosses? Can genome editing preventing heart attacks? And can the FDA regulate drug prices?

Is Biogen bracing for a fight? What does Jack Daniels have to do with immunotherapy? And will "micro-dosing" light the way to actual therapies?

Who gets to be "influential"? Should you be skeptical of for-profit hospitals? And should George Lucas fire his attorneys?

Who gets to "play God"? Can old technologies learn new tricks? And what does "drug price" even mean?

How do you sell lefty ideas to righty politicians? What’s going on at Gilead Sciences? And why are biotech investors freaking out?

What if pharma just charged less for drugs? Can speaking three syllables reveal whether you're depressed? And why is Snoop Dogg selling erectile dysfunction pills on TV?

Why can't investors think for themselves? How do parents cope with inexplicable tragedy? And is tech prepared for the toughest parts of health care?

Should Alzheimer's researchers just give up on amyloid plaques? What will a new drug mean for new moms with postpartum depression? And which coastal region of Long Island is superior?

Who deserves credit for a new gene therapy? How do you push stop on a startup? And what does MC Hammer have to do with Theranos?

Why is Scott Gottlieb quitting the FDA? Who will replace him? And what's the proper elastane content of a skinny jean?

Is this the age of the big biotech buyout? Is cold brew a business expense? And how do you pronounce "Gonzalez"?

What did an opioid patriarch say under oath? Why did everyone want to know so badly? And how might it shape the conversation around the opioid crisis?

Is pharma about to have its Big Tobacco moment? Are we overestimating human genetics? And can sales reps rap? We discuss all that and more on the latest episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s biotech podcast. First, Boston Globe reporter Jonathan Saltzman joins us to discuss the case against Insys Therapeutics, the maker of a powerful painkiller now accused of running a nationwide racketeering sche...