an anthropomorphized red and blue pill illustrated in the style of the famous american gothic painting
Alex Hogan/STAT

Ed Silverman, a senior writer and Pharmalot columnist at STAT, has been covering the pharmaceutical industry for nearly three decades. He is also the author of the morning Pharmalittle newsletter and the afternoon Pharmalot newsletter.

And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Already, you say? Well, there is a holiday coming up on this side of the pond. So we are happily daydreaming about weekend plans. Our agenda is uncertain. We do plan, however, to hang with all of our short people, nosh on some favorite foods, and, yes, hold yet another listing party. This time around, the rotation will likely include this, this, this, this and this. And what about you? There may be no better time to enjoy the great outdoors, a perennial aspiration of ours. After all, hiking trails, boardwalks, and country roads are beckoning. You could also take a moment to curl up with a good book or look in on someone special. Or you might want to simply plan the rest of your life. Well, whatever you do, have a grand time. But be safe. Enjoy, and see you on Monday. …

A memo that purports to summarize a meeting held by members of a leading biotech trade group suggests deep concern about health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s stance on vaccines, and describes him as a “direct threat to public health,” STAT writes. The four-page document purportedly details topics of conversation at an April 3 meeting of a vaccine policy committee of the trade group BIO, in which attendees discussed anxieties about Kennedy’s positions on vaccines and strategies to engage with more conservative influencers. The document also includes an apparent quote from someone in attendance: “it is time to go to The Hill and lobby that it is time for RFK Jr to go.” BIO said the memo was not produced by the organization and does not reflect its plans. “We have never seen or heard of this document and it certainly does not accurately represent the spirit, strategy, or mission of BIO’s work,” spokesperson Scott Frotman said in a statement. 

Advertisement

Novartis’s drug Cosentyx failed in a late-stage study of patients suffering from inflammation in their blood vessels, a blow to its efforts to find new uses for the blockbuster medicine, Bloomberg News tells us. The therapy, already one of Novartis’s top sellers, did not demonstrate statistically significant improvement in adult patients suffering from giant cell arteritis, an ailment that can cause loss of vision and life-threatening aneurysms. The drug was compared with placebo, with all trial participants also getting a steroid. Cosentyx is already used for treating ailments including psoriasis and the drug is expected to generate about $7 billion in sales this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Novartis chief executive officer Vas Narasimhan recently said that if Cosentyx proved successful in treating giant cell arteritis, it could bring in another $500 million in revenue annually. The company had listed the trial as one of its largest pipeline events in 2025. It said it plans a full evaluation of the trial data and will share more results at a later date.

STAT+ Exclusive Story

STAT+

This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers

Unlock this article — plus in-depth analysis, newsletters, premium events, and news alerts.

Already have an account? Log in

Monthly

$39

Totals $468 per year

$39/month Get Started

Totals $468 per year

Starter

$30

for 3 months, then $399/year

$30 for 3 months Get Started

Then $399/year

Annual

$399

Save 15%

$399/year Get Started

Save 15%

11+ Users

Custom

Savings start at 25%!

Request A Quote Request A Quote

Savings start at 25%!

2-10 Users

$300

Annually per user

$300/year Get Started

$300 Annually per user

View All Plans

To read the rest of this story subscribe to STAT+.

Subscribe