Hello, everyone, and welcome to the middle of the week. Congratulations on making it this far, because it is an accomplishment, after all. The next step, of course, is to somehow forge ahead. And why not? Just consider the alternatives. On that optimistic note, please join us for a needed cup or three of stimulation. Our choice today is salted caramel,...

Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning. Today we ponder, how much will the advisory committee meeting for Lilly’s donanemab matter? Send me your thoughts, and as always, any ideas or tips: elaine.chen@statnews.com.Read the rest…

As the U.S. grapples with the lasting effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is important to highlight the ongoing challenges faced by the 7 million immunocompromised Americans. For them, the battle against Covid-19 is far from over. Often overlooked or sidelined by newsmakers and policymakers, these individuals continue to confront a heightened risk...

Two congenitally deaf children can hear for the first time after being treated with gene therapy, according to data presented at a conference Wednesday. The results are “jaw-droppingly good, just shocking how good. It exceeded the wildest expectations of anybody who started this work,” said Larry Lustig, an otolaryngologist at Columbia University and...

The Apple Watch has secured a new qualification from the Food and Drug Administration that could make the smartwatch an appealing tool for medical device companies hoping to illustrate the benefits of a common heart procedure. Last week, the Apple Watch’s Atrial Fibrillation History feature became the first digital tool qualified under the Medical...

It should be hard — exceedingly hard — to obtain the synthetic DNA needed to recreate the virus that caused the deadly 1918 influenza pandemic without authorization. But my lab found that it’s surprisingly easy, even when ordering gene fragments from companies that check customers’ orders to detect hazardous sequences. Our experiment demonstrates that...