As the FDA considered approving Amylyx’s drug for ALS, a senior official asked if the co. would pull the drug if an ongoing trial didn’t succeed.

Yes, an executive said.

FDA approved the drug. The trial failed. And Amylyx made good on its pledge: washingtonpost.com/business/2024/…

In another medical first, FDA approves an #AI sepsis prediction algorithm
washingtonpost.com/business/2024/…
Daniel Gilbert Rachel Roubein Post Health/Science Prenosis
Following a rocky road of previous attempts with data shift issues
thelancet.com/journals/lance…

Bottom line: There's no evidence that rapamycin promotes longevity in humans.
washingtonpost.com/business/2024/… Daniel Gilbert Post Health/Science

Pretty good article in WaPo on rapamycin.

I agree with Eric Verdin's comments at the end:

“We should not as a field recommend use on people.” He and many other doctors say rapamycin is no substitute for exercise and a healthy diet.

“People going on it, using it as a…

Rapamycin, a drug for transplant patients, is becoming a mainstream anti-aging therapy. The only evidence of this comes from animal studies, but companies are building businesses around it. A journey into the world of longevity medicine: washingtonpost.com/business/2024/…

What a lede by David Ovalle washingtonpost.com/health/2024/03…

Scoop: White House just met with Andrew Witty, CEO of UnitedHealth Group, and other industry leaders, demanding they do more to stabilize U.S. health system in wake of Change Healthcare hack.

National payment crisis is entering its 3rd week. More TK.

washingtonpost.com/health/2024/03…

The couple at an IVF clinic wanted a test that reveals an embryo’s sex, so their first child could be a boy.

When the doctor declined, they said they’d simply abort the pregnancy if it was a girl.

Inside the ethics debates in IVF: washingtonpost.com/business/2024/…

New: HHS is moving to help providers ensnared in the Change Healthcare hack, as hospitals and doctors warn they’re running out of cash.

TBD how much the steps announced today will address the growing health-payment crisis.

Me + Daniel Gilbert. More TK

washingtonpost.com/health/2024/03…

Change Healthcare, which processes ~half of all medical claims in the U.S., once concluded that the health care system would not work without it. Now a crippling hack is causing havoc at hospitals, doctor offices and pharmacies nationwide: washingtonpost.com/business/2024/…

Weeks before the US Supreme Court takes up a major abortion pill case, Walgreens & CVS announced they will begin dispensing it in certain states after getting FDA’s sign-off: washingtonpost.com/business/2024/…

New: Pharmacies rely on a little-known company called a 'switch' to process prescription claims. A hack has crippled one of the big ones, causing mayhem for pharmacies and patients. washingtonpost.com/technology/202…

Latest display of Wall Street’s weight-loss frenzy: Viking Therapeutics $VKTX stock price *doubles* after posting results of experimental drug that could outdo market leaders like Ozempic washingtonpost.com/business/2024/…

My The Washington Post latest dives deep into tax records:

Four major nonprofits that rose to prominence during the coronavirus pandemic by capitalizing on the spread of medical misinformation collectively gained more than $118 million between 2020 and 2022 washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/02…

That time Alexei Navalny (“M” below) impersonated a Russian official and tricked an FSB agent into confirming a failed assassination attempt on him. bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-eu…

“That’s not really the plastic’s fault,” plastics industry rep tells school kids about its environmental impact. A look inside the pro-plastic lobbying campaign in schools by Evan Halper: washingtonpost.com/business/2024/…

1/ People need to understand that good government is not possible without great journalists. With all of the layoffs, I’m going to try to do a better job at flagging when my own thinking FTC is informed by investigative reporting. I’ll start today…

I'm deeply saddened to be among the many talented people The Wall Street Journal just laid off. I'll be forever grateful that WSJ let me create a U.S.-China beat in the DC bureau years ago. I'd appreciate any recs to continue working in the U.S.-China space, in media or not.