'Caught in the middle': A battle between Vertex and insurers is leaving cystic fibrosis patients with crushing drug costs

A growing number of cystic fibrosis patients and their families like the Brickeys (above) are encountering sharp jumps in their out-of-pocket drug costs thanks to a grinding, behind-the-scenes struggle taking place between pharmaceutical companies and health insurers across the U.S. Read more.

By Ed Silverman

Illustration of a figure standing in front of a depression screening form

Eros Dervishi for STAT

How a depression test devised by a Zoloft marketer became a crutch for a failing mental health system

A bedrock of the U.S. mental health system — a nine-item questionnaire used to spot depression — began not with a doctor, but with a marketer. In an overstretched health care system warped by business interests, a STAT investigation shows how this simple tool has become a crutch — used in place of, rather than as a gateway to, thoughtful mental health care. Read more.

By Olivia Goldhill

Alissa Ambrose/STAT

Cereal, pasta, and other food companies blast the FDA for a too-strict definition of 'healthy'

General Mills, Kellogg's, and the rest of the country's cereal makers are mad at the FDA. So are the packaged food companies, the pasta industry, and the pickle lobby. The companies behind America's favorite culinary indulgences are worried their products wouldn't be considered "healthy" under a recent FDA proposal — and they're urging regulators to reconsider. Read more.

By Nicholas Florko

More great reads from STAT this week

'A slippery slope': A looming nationwide abortion pill ban could undermine the entire drug approval system
Experts weigh in on potential health hazards posed by chemicals in Ohio train derailment
With so little regulation, it's easy to buy chemically altered 'weed' like THC-O and HHC, even where marijuana is illegal
Biotech rents hold firm as demand for lab space slumps
The FDA plans to regulate far more AI tools as devices. The industry won't go down without a fight
Opinion: 'They don't need your permission.' When childbirth feels like rape