Life

Health, science, climate, and society-focused reporting.

Briefing: Large AI Scribe Study Finds Modest Time Savings for Doctors

Strategic angle: A new study reveals that AI scribes saved doctors approximately 16 minutes during an eight-hour shift across five academic medical centers.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: Government watchdog urges FDA to finalize guidance for advisory committee conflicts of interest

Strategic angle: A new review reveals the FDA's shortcomings in disclosing financial conflicts of interest among advisory committee members.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Eli Lilly’s obesity pill approved by FDA, setting up fierce competition with Novo Nordisk

Eli Lilly’s obesity pill was approved by the FDA, setting it up for fierce competition against Novo Nordisk’s new Wegovy pill.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: Policy Tracker: Exceptions to State Abortion Bans and Early Gestational Limits

Strategic angle: This policy tracker documents exceptions in each state’s most restrictive gestational limit or total ban.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

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Briefing: Insilico Medicine CEO on Best Practices for AI in Drug Development

Strategic angle: Insights from Alex Zhavoronkov on becoming a productive biotech AI company.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

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Briefing: Novo’s subscription model raises questions about pharma-telehealth tie-ups

Strategic angle: A delayed FDA decision for Orca Bio, new questions about pharma-telehealth tie-ups, and more

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: FDA Moves Toward Allowing Injectable Peptide Compounding

Strategic angle: The FDA is reconsidering its stance on compounding pharmacies, potentially allowing the production of injectable peptides previously banned due to safety concerns.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: KFF Health Tracking Poll: The Public’s View of Immigration Enforcement Activities in Health Care Settings

Strategic angle: A majority of the public expresses concern over immigration enforcement in hospitals amid policy changes.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

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Briefing: Can a psychedelic ‘coach’ make ketamine therapy even more effective?

Strategic angle: A new study explores whether incorporating psychotherapy with ketamine treatment enhances its effectiveness.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

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Briefing: NIH Director's Invocation of Vannevar Bush's Legacy Sparks Pushback

Strategic angle: Jay Bhattacharya's claim linking Trump administration policies to Vannevar Bush's vision has ignited controversy.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

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Briefing: Opinion: Medical marijuana should not be recommended for PTSD, anxiety, or depression

Strategic angle: “Rigorously derived evidence for the medical efficacy of marijuana is thin,” writes Kevin Sabet.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

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Briefing: Opinion: Medicare is restricting care for 1 million Americans based on a faulty assumption. Congress must intervene

Strategic angle: Medicare is restricting care for 1 million Americans based on a faulty assumption.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: STAT+: The biotech scorecard for the second quarter: 23 stock-moving events to watch

Strategic angle: Here is STAT’s biotech scorecard, our regular ledger of stock-moving biotech events, for the second quarter.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: Why an ovary syndrome may get a new name: Men seem to have PCOS, too

Strategic angle: A quiet effort to change the name of PCOS is nearing completion, driven in part by growing evidence of a male version.

Editorial Staff Apr 1

Life

Briefing: STAT+: The HSA industry makes its MAHA pitch

Strategic angle: A new lobbying group tied to the health savings account industry is pushing hard to make HSAs far more widely available.

Editorial Staff Mar 31

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Briefing: HHS Renames U.S. Health IT Office

Strategic angle: The Trump administration reverts the name of the federal health IT office to the Office of the National Coordinator.

Editorial Staff Mar 31

Life

Briefing: Overview of President Trump’s Executive Actions on Global Health

Strategic angle: This guide provides an overview of executive orders and other executive actions made by the Trump Administration since January 21, 2025 that directly address or affect U.S. global health efforts.

Editorial Staff Mar 31

Life

Briefing: How Does U.S. Life Expectancy Compare to Other Countries?

Strategic angle: This chart collection examines how life expectancy in the U.S. compares to that of other similarly large and wealthy countries.

Editorial Staff Mar 31

Life

Briefing: Baby KJ Scientists Hit Speed Bump in Quest to Scale Custom Gene Editor

Strategic angle: The scientists who treated Baby KJ say the FDA's strict standards will make it much harder to create bespoke gene editing for others.

Editorial Staff Mar 31

Life

Briefing: STAT+: OpenEvidence inks deal with major health system

Strategic angle: OpenEvidence partners with a significant health system to enhance health record sharing.

Editorial Staff Mar 31