My rendezvous with the raw milk black market: quick, easy, and unchecked by the FDA

The interstate trade in raw milk is illegal, because of the risk of serious illness from drinking unpasteurized milk. But in D.C. and many other places across the country, raw milk is being transported across state lines and openly sold to enthusiastic customers — and the FDA is doing nothing to stop it. Read more.

By Nicholas Florko

OSU Center for Health Sciences/Matt Barnard

The only tribal medical school in the U.S. graduates its first Native American doctors

There are so few Indigenous physicians in the United States — just 0.3% of doctors — that their numbers barely show up in charts and graphs depicting the diversity of the medical workforce. But as of this week, there will be at least nine more. Read more.

By Usha Lee McFarling

Hyacinth Empinado/STAT

USDA, FDA turf battles hamper responses to outbreaks like H5N1 bird flu

With an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu spreading among cows, experts say that the longtime fractured nature of the U.S. food regulation system could hamper the federal response. STAT interviewed more than 20 former agency officials and independent experts, many of whom described the relationship between the USDA and the FDA as being punctuated by tense turf battles. Read more.

By Rachel Cohrs Zhang, Lizzy Lawrence, and Nicholas Florko

More great reads from STAT this week

After decades fighting Big Tobacco, Cliff Douglas now leads a foundation funded by his former adversaries
Can AI build custom 'n-of-1' drugs faster? Maybe not yet, new case study suggests
Watch: Restaurant workers can serve your food, bring your drinks, and maybe save your life
Opinion: As childhood asthma worsens, insurers restrict access to an essential medication
FDA is criticized for taking a 'ministerial' role in sorting out some pharma patents