video
Super Bowl spoilers ahead
Alex Hogan/STAT
Last fall, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary wrote in an op-ed that American drug advertisements are "distraction by design." This Sunday's Super Bowl — an annual jubilee honoring those distractions alongside athletics — will be the first since his self-described "crackdown" on drug marketing.
STAT's Damian Garde has a preview of what ads the drug industry is paying to run during the big game. Hims & Hers, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, and more will make appearances. Read Damian's story for a rundown of what puns you can expect. But you have to watch the latest STATus Report video for his discussion with Alex Hogan of how one ad featuring a bunch of football players is experimenting with homoeroticism (and perhaps toeing the line on homophobia).
public health
A reminder about raw milk
A newborn baby in New Mexico has died from listeria, likely in connection to the mother's consumption of raw milk during pregnancy, state health officials announced Tuesday. "While investigators cannot pinpoint the exact cause, the tragic death underscores the serious risks raw dairy poses," the statement read.
STAT reporters like Helen Branswell first started writing about the risks of drinking raw milk in the spring of 2024 as H5N1 bird flu circulated in dairy cow herds across the country. (Well, technically Helen's very first story on the issue was way back in 2017, after a study found unpasteurized milk, and the cheeses made from it, are responsible for nearly all dairy-related foodborne illnesses.) Last year, when raw milk drinker Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took over federal health policy, the product was poised to hit the mainstream — though recent reporting suggests that Kennedy has distanced himself from the industry. And even MAHA-adjacent raw milk businesses have had to confront the dangers of contamination.
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