August 7, 2025
John Locher/AP

STAT+ | Kennedy’s rejection of mRNA vaccines thwarts scientific progress — and threatens national security, experts say

Canceled development of messenger RNA vaccines imperils the country’s capacity to quickly respond to a bioterror threat or new emerging pandemic.

By Helen Branswell


STAT+ | Eli Lilly’s much-anticipated obesity pill yields modest results

Eli Lilly's pill candidate, orforglipron, led to 11% weight loss in a late-stage trial, far less than results from injectable obesity drugs.

By Elaine Chen


STAT+ | As mRNA falls out of favor for HHS, are cancer vaccines next?

Oncologists worry that HHS's cutoff of mRNA research could lead to a broader hostile posture towards using mRNA and hamper cancer treatments. 

By Angus Chen, Megan Molteni, and Marissa Russo



Patrick Semansky/AP

STAT+ | DOJ and UnitedHealth reach settlement on $3.3 billion Amedisys deal

Acquiring Amedisys would add to UnitedHealth's home care and hospice operations, one of the health care giant's many businesses.

By Tara Bannow


STAT+ | Work on mRNA therapies was surging. Now Kennedy has rocked the field

Scientists call mRNA technology safe and effective, say Kennedy's "unscientific and misguided" decision will hamper research and pandemic response.

By Marissa Russo


Superagers’ brains offer clues to cognitive resilience, and possible treatments, researchers say

Scientists uncover what makes "superagers" resilient to memory loss in a study that hints at new ways to protect against Alzheimer’s-related brain changes.

By Veronica Paulus


Doctors in Argentina perform CPR. In the U.S., bioethics are rethinking some core tenets of CPR.
Natacha Pisarenko/AP

Opinion: Doctors sometimes fake CPR — and they should

Slow codes are not only ethical in some circumstances — they might be essential in today’s conflict-ridden medical landscape.

By Jason Adam Wasserman and Parker Crutchfield


Opinion: Amid the countless tragedies of Gaza, chronic disease remains

My cousin is displaced in Gaza. But his familial Mediterranean fever remains, exacerbated by the war.

By Asil Almanssi


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