Massive amounts of H5N1 vaccine would be needed if there's a bird flu pandemic. Can we make enough?

The first signs that H5N1 — or any new flu virus — was starting to spread from person to person would trigger a race to produce massive amounts of vaccine to try to mitigate the damage a flu pandemic might be expected to cause. But the current global production capacity isn't close to adequate to vaccinate a large portion of the world's population in a pandemic's first year. Read more.

By Helen Branswell

José A. Alvarado Jr. for STAT

Exclusive: How a scientific slip-up caused a pregnant woman to get an untested treatment for preterm birth

Makena, once the only available treatment to prevent preterm birth, has had its share of controversy. A yearslong debate over the drug's effectiveness led the FDA to withdraw its approval of the product and demand it be pulled from the market after a confirmatory trial couldn't replicate the results of a key study. But while the story of Makena's rise and fall may be well known, one aspect of the drug's legacy has gone untold. Read more.

By Annalisa Merelli

Rebecca Noble for STAT

Mental health crisis centers and EmPATH units: offering care that busy ERs can't

Emergency rooms are rarely designed or equipped to provide optimal care during mental health emergencies. And the consequences of this system, which were always problematic, are now nearing catastrophic. Read more.

By Grace Rubenstein

More great reads from STAT this week

Telehealth startups see an opportunity in long-ignored, complex chronic diseases
Trump surrogates hint at how he could reshape U.S. health care policy
Novo Nordisk's move to discontinue an insulin leaves patients to 'pick up the pieces'
Opinion: Free med school tuition won't solve the shortage of primary care physicians
Why a British hospital, and not a drugmaker, is trying to get a rare disease therapy approved