How Mark Cuban plans to 'f--- up' health care

This week, my colleagues and I scheduled 30 minutes to talk with Mark Cuban for "The Readout LOUD" podcast. The conversation ended up lasting almost an hour. Cuban did not want to stop talking to us about drug pricing.

We talked extensively with Cuban about the latest biosimilar launch by his company, Cost Plus Drugs, as well as his thoughts about the changes happening in the direct-to-consumer space and about TrumpRx, the direct drug purchasing platform the president aims to launch.

Plus, we talked a bit about Shark Tank, and a bit about his thoughts on sports betting in the NBA.

Listen here.

artificial intelligence

Recursion's incoming CEO has to prove its programs aren't hype

Najat Khan is set to become CEO of AI-driven drug developer Recursion Pharmaceuticals at a critical juncture. The company is starting to move toward late-stage programs while also recovering from financial challenges — its share price is down about a third over the last year and it's had to lay off staff.

Khan will succeed longtime CEO Chris Gibson, who said that as Recursion enters this next phase, it will need a leader with a different skill set.

My colleague Drew Joseph spent time with Khan to discuss what she will bring to the role and her vision for the company.

Read more.

biotech

GV's David Schenkein sees much more M&A coming

We are just the start of a biotech M&A wave, veteran biotech executive David Schenkein says.

Schenkein, who now co-leads the life sciences investing group at GV, told my colleague Allison DeAngelis that he predicts dealmaking will accelerate over the next few years, particularly as pharma companies face significant patent cliffs.

He also shared his thoughts on what role he thinks private companies should play in supporting academic research, and whether there's a commercial future for gene-editing companies.

Read more from the interview here.

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