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Matthew Herper

@matthewherper.bsky.social

I write about medicine at STAT. This is biology's century. Every data point has a face.

518 Posts7260 Follower704 Folgt
Carolyn Bertozzi@carolynbertozzi.bskyverified.social · 4w ago

The story of Grace Science, the Wilsey family who launched this mission to develop gene therapy treatment for NGly deficiency, and the struggles along the way - some inherent to ultrarare disease and some frustratingly imposed by regulatory demands www.statnews.com/2026/07/09/m...

The quest to save Grace — and clear the way for rare disease patients everywhere

How a father’s quest may shape the future of rare disease gene therapy.

statnews.com

Megan Molteni@mmolteni.bsky.social · last mo.

Meet SpudCell, a collection of a few dozen genes floating inside a fatty membrane-encased bubble. @matthewherper.bsky.social writes about the scientists who’ve come closest to building a living cell from scratch. www.statnews.com/2026/07/01/s...

Synthetic biology researchers think they’ve made a cell. Is it alive?

Researchers have created what they say may count as the first synthetic cell, and have started a public benefit corporation to share the technology with

statnews.com

Lizzy Lawrence@lizzylawrence.bsky.social · last mo.

EXCLUSIVE: Eli Lilly gave compassionate use access to retatrutide, their unapproved powerful obesity drug, to a 79-year-old man in April. The application was arranged by a top doctor at NIH, and cleared by the FDA. www.statnews.com/2026/06/23/e...

Eli Lilly gave extraordinary obesity drug access to a 79-year-old patient. Who was it?

Exclusive: STAT has learned that Eli Lilly and the FDA allowed a 79-year-old to gain extraordinary access to an experimental obesity drug through the agency’s “compassionate use” program.

statnews.com

Dan Vergano@danvergano.bsky.social · last mo.

Scientific American is being sold to LabX Media, publisher of Discover: group.springernature.com/gp/group/med... They've fired me and other union staff, ahead of June 26 vote ratification. My rates are suddenly more reasonable, if you need editing or reporting - Argonaut2026@gmail.com

Springer Nature to divest its consumer media businesses | Springer Nature Group | Springer Nature

Strategic divestment of consumer media portfolio enables Springer Nature to focus on its core business Transaction supports the long-term development

group.springernature.com

Matthew Herper@matthewherper.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Marty Makary was the worst FDA commissioner in 25 years. I have covered the agency that long. I don't say this lightly. He failed at the political, organizational, and scientific aspects of the job. Here's why: www.statnews.com/2026/05/12/m...

Why Marty Makary was the worst FDA commissioner in 25 years

Marty Makary, who resigned under pressure from the FDA, brought to the job a fundamental lack of understanding of the nature of the role, STAT's Matthew Herper writes.

statnews.com

Matthew Herper@matthewherper.bsky.social · 3mo ago

A Friday footnote: The New England Journal of Medicine has published the Moderna influenza vaccine data -- the same that led the FDA's CBER division to refuse to review the vaccine under Vinay Prasad. First, the efficacy slide.

Slide showing Moderna's influenza vaccine outperforming a standard dose flu shot.
Matthew Herper@matthewherper.bsky.social · 5mo ago

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary: "Vinay Prasad is a genius...some of the drugs they are criticizing him for that got rejected either had stone cold, normal trial results, or he wasn’t even involved." www.statnews.com/2026/02/26/m...

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary defends rare disease drug rejections, Vinay Prasad

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary defended the agency’s recent rejections of rare disease drugs and one of his deputies, Vinay Prasad, in an interview with CNBC.

statnews.com

Matthew Herper@matthewherper.bsky.social · 6mo ago

This morning, the FDA reversed course. It will now review Moderna's flu vaccine. The FDA's decisions have become far less predictable, but one thing has been constant: vaccine head Vinay Prasad has always chosen the most attention-grabbing action he can. www.statnews.com/2026/02/18/m...

The FDA’s Moderna pirouette is one more sign of chaos at the agency

For drugmakers and vaccine developers, an FDA reversal on Moderna's flu vaccine is better than the alternative. But it is also another sign of agency chaos.

statnews.com