SUMMIT NEWS | BREAKTHROUGH EAST

A note from Damian Garde, STAT reporter at large

We're just days away

The STAT Breakthrough Summit East kicks off next week in New York City, a gathering of D.C. power players, drug industry innovators, and the most influential voices in health and medicine.

A few quick highlights:

With the Food and Drug Administration mired in unrest and upheaval, you won't want to miss former FDA Commissioner Robert Califf in conversation with STAT's Lizzy Lawrence, who just won a prestigious George Polk Award for her reporting on the agency.

The same goes for our live interview with Chris Klomp, the Health and Human Services Department official who ran point on the Trump administration's drug-pricing negotiations with major pharmaceutical companies, and a salon with Eli Lilly's top dealmaker, Jacob Van Naarden, who has been on both sides of the table in multibillion-dollar transactions.

I'll be leading a panel of the R&D heads of Bristol Myers Squibb, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, and Biogen, inviting some pathbreaking drug developers to talk shop. I'll also be hosting Stelios Papadopoulos, often referred to as "the godfather of biotech," for a conversation drawing on his decades of experience in science and business.

It's going to be a big day. I hope you can join us in New York, or, if not, virtually.