"It is definitely a dangerous time for many of my friends who provide care, especially in places which are more hostile," one doctor said.
 Kevin Wang, M.D., is the medical director of Swedish Health Services' LGBTQIA+ program and a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, seen here in an exam room. (M. Scott Brauer for STAT)
As conservative views collide with science, doctors find themselves navigating political landmines Scores of practicing physicians are increasingly at the center of a widening cleave between conservative America and science writ large. The gap has doctors young and old questioning how to navigate political landmines and limits in their communities — or whether they should at all.
"There's this broad trend of disdain for medicine, science, evidence, expertise," said Kellan Baker, executive director of the Whitman-Walker Institute, a network of LGBTQ-focused providers. "It's no accident that the same governors that are going after trans kids have also gone after mask mandates, have also gone after vaccines, are also peddling lies about what good medicine and good science look like." Read more. By Sarah Owermohle |
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Eros Dervishi for STAT Gene therapy makers wonder if they can make a profit in Europe. Patients fear being left behind — again Gene therapy treatments that could transform the lives of patients with chronic conditions. But what happens when a company touting a seven-figure treatment collides with cost-conscious national health systems empowered to negotiate prices? As drug developers raise concerns about the commercial viability of these one-time therapies in Europe, payers globally are grappling with how to afford the arrival of these once-futuristic medicines. Read more. By Andrew Joseph
-jpg.jpeg?width=1252&height=704&upscale=true&name=MattsTakeColumn_Illustration_MollyFerguson_071122-1600x900%20(2)-jpg.jpeg) What we owe ALS patients — and why one company fell short
"I worry about patients feeling too close an alliance with drug companies," Matthew Herper writes. "A hungry startup can be an amazing thing, and I have seen some save lives. But company executives are always beholden to investors. Some have very good intentions, some don't. Some are heroes and a few are criminals. But at the end of the day their interests are not always aligned with patients, even desperate ones." By Matthew Herper
More great reads from STAT this week - Parents of young babies are anxiously waiting to find out how and where they'll be able to get their children the new shot for RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus. It's starting to look like some will have success, while others will struggle, STAT's Helen Branswell explains.
- Scientists want to put carbon footprints on drugs. But it's hard to get accurate numbers, STAT reports.
- The most noteworthy aspect of awarding the Nobel Prize in medicine or physiology to two pioneers of mRNA research was not who won — Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman were widely expected to take home the prize. It was the way the two scientists worked together for over two decades, Megan Molteni writes.
- Will we ever get an HIV vaccine? This week on the Readout LOUD, Jason Mast joins the team to explain the scientific and ethical quandaries facing the teams attempting to develop HIV vaccines.
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