How Kyle Diamantas defied expectations as he rose to lead the FDA Unlike many leaders at Marty Makary’s FDA, new acting commissioner earned trust of career staff

https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/26/kyle-diamantas-acting-fda-commissioner-wins-trust-exceeds-expectations/ By Lizzy LawrenceMay 26, 2026 FDA Reporter MIT president: Why so many optimistic scientists are losing heart High-impact science is being damaged and derailed https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/27/science-funding-derailed-breakthroughs/ By Sally KornbluthMay 27, 2026 Kornbluth is the president of MIT. Sen. Dick Durbin: Trump is letting Big Tobacco target children Allowing the sale of kid-friendly e-cigarette flavors will set back hard-won progress https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/27/flavored-vapes-e-cigarettes-fda-trump-durbin/ By Dick DurbinMay 27, 2026 Durbin is the senior U.S. senator from Illinois.

It’s the end of science as we know it, and I feel fine Let’s stop mourning the end of the ivory tower and start celebrating what comes next

https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/27/science-enterprise-replication-crisis-ivory-tower-community/ By Jonathan JacksonMay 27, 2026 Jackson is a cognitive neuroscientist and clinical trialist.

The patients demanding unvaccinated blood transfusions Unfounded concerns about blood transfusions put patients — especially pediatric ones — at risk

https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/27/unvaccinated-blood-transfusions-directed-donation-interview/ By Torie BoschMay 27, 2026 Editor, First Opinion

How Stanford patients help expose ‘fault lines’ in health AI adoption Patient panels offer Stanford Health Care a window into what patients want from AI tools

https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/27/stanford-patient-panels-feedback-on-ai-shaping-health-care/ By Brittany TrangMay 27, 2026 Health Tech Reporter

‘Are we just going to give up and die like every other generation?’ At the Vitalist Bay longevity conference, dreamers and entrepreneurs launch an industry By Sarah ToddMay 27, 2026

https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/27/longevity-movement-shift-fringe-idea-to-big-business/?utm_campaign=the_readout&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8L2Pnmr9kiCB6RyV7Z3DvOTidg_TxMG-Loh4JI-7ExYWemzkJeYZx2o7oWpJ5Z30hrX0ivN4JziweFW8CUNbF9BEq2bQ&_hsmi=420814327&utm_content=420814327&utm_source=hs_email The longevity movement is becoming a booming industry Though the longevity movement still faces widespread skepticism and has a long way to go before becoming mainstream, there's no doubt that it's rapidly gaining steam and investment. That was no more apparent than at Vitalist Bay, a recent longevity conference that brought together founders, investors, researchers, and biohackers. My colleague Sarah Todd attended the festival this year and takes us into the burgeoning industry, which includes scores of companies developing body scans, blood tests, and lab-grown organs. As the community shifts from “a movement to really more of an industry,” as one attendee put it, it has to grapple with key questions like how rigorous its science has to be and how accessible the new technology will be.

Charting a course in specialty therapy access Cencora leaders gathered at the 2026 Asembia AXS Summit to explore the complexity and expansion of specialty treatment access

https://sbs.statnews.com/asembia-2026

Kailera Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results and Provides Clinical Data Updates May 26, 2026

https://investors.kailera.com/news-releases/news-release-details/kailera-reports-first-quarter-2026-financial-results-and?utm_campaign=the_readout&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--rt-yETpHe7TC-qElm6tCl1MSsQeYQwmmhjO4a73CF98vQ1Kr7Tvpiz1QVnNCfcUzfTTlf03jhoDdvOrr6o4nKjOFpCw&_hsmi=420814327&utm_content=420814327&utm_source=hs_email Kailera's own 'triple-G' drug also looks very powerful Kailera said yesterday that its investigational obesity drug that targets three hormones led to significant weight loss in a Phase 1 study. After 12 weeks, patients who received the highest dose of the weekly injectable drug, called KAI-4729, experienced up to 16% weight loss, while those on placebo lost 5.4% of their weight. That's a really rapid rate of weight loss. For context, Novo Nordisk's Wegovy led to 15% weight loss over 68 weeks in its pivotal trial. (It is notable, though, that the placebo group experienced a higher rate of weight loss than we typically see with placebo groups.) Kailera's drug activates receptors of the GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon hormones. It's similar to Eli Lilly's investigational treatment retatrutide (also known as the “triple-G” drug). Retatrutide has been shown to be very efficacious in Phase 3 studies, but it's also raised concerns about whether the field is pushing patients to lose too much weight loss too quickly. Kailera launched in 2024 with a plan to develop and sell obesity drug candidates from the Chinese company Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals. Last month, it raised $625 million when going public. Hengrui ran this latest study in China and Kailera said it will start another Phase 1 trial outside of China this year, with data expected next year.