Duchenne gene therapy setback, Alzheimer’s drug endorsement & why a STAT reporter buys weed (for journalism)

On this week’s episode of “The Readout LOUD,” our STAT colleague Nicholas Florko joins us to explain what it means to be a reporter who writes about the commercial determinants of health. Hint: Florko’s most recent stories focused on weed, vapes and raw milk. And instead of being chained to a desk, he often drives around to convenience stores and buy bad stuff — all in the name of good journalism.

Also this week, co-hosts Adam Feuerstein and Allison DeAngelis chat about Pfizer’s Duchenne gene therapy setback, the likely approval of a new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, and Bob Langer’s most recent startup.

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To learn more about Florko’s coverage of vapes, look here; his story on buying raw milk — and why you shouldn’t do it, too — can be found here. To read about the failure of Pfizer’s gene therapy study, go here, and a recap of the FDA advisory panel that reviewed Eli Lilly’s Alzheimer’s drug can be found here. Bob Langer’s new startup details are here.

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