Elaine’s stories explore the boom in new obesity treatments, new drug payment models, the ways companies are affected by FDA changes, and the emerging psychedelics drug sector. She co-writes The Readout newsletter, and co-hosts STAT’s weekly biotech podcast, The Readout Loud. You can reach Elaine on Signal at elaineywchen.70.

Why does getting family health insurance through a job cost as much as buying a new car? How did a whistleblower take on an insurance contractor? And who might be the new Food and Drug Administration commissioner?

We discuss all that and more on this week’s episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s weekly biotech podcast. 

STAT reporter Bob Herman joins us to discuss his new series, “Out of Pocket, Out of Reach,” which dives into how soaring costs for health insurance are hurting Americans and small business owners. We also speak with Chris Deacon, who filed a whistleblower lawsuit after spotting how an insurer may have violated contracts to provide health benefits for New Jersey’s state workers.

We also discuss the latest news in life sciences, including Anthropic’s push into drug development and Vertex’s largest-ever acquisition.

To read the “Out of Pocket, Out of Reach” series, go here; for more information on AstraZeneca and Ionis Pharma’s trial failure, go here; for more information on the FDA commissioner candidates, go here; to read about Vertex’s acquisition of Crinetics, go here; and to read about Claude Science, go here.

Be sure to sign up for “The Readout LOUD” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.