Makary’s departure and Cassidy’s tenuous Senate seat

PodcastThe Readout LOUD Makary’s departure and Cassidy’s tenuous Senate seat Manage alerts for this article Email this article Share this article By Elaine Chen, Adam Feuerstein, and Allison DeAngelisMay 14, 2026 Elaine Chen[email protected]Elaine Chen covers biotech, co-writes The Readout newsletter, and co-hosts STAT’s weekly biotech podcast, The Readout Loud. You can reach Elaine on Signal at elaineywchen.70.Adam Feuerstein[email protected]Adam Feuerstein is a senior writer and biotech columnist, reporting on the crossroads of drug development, business, Wall Street, and biotechnology. He is also a co-host of the weekly biotech podcast The Readout Loud and author of the newsletter Adam’s Biotech Scorecard.

You can reach Adam on Signal at stataf.54.Allison DeAngelis[email protected]Allison covers what hot startups are getting up to, and who’s financing them. She is also co-host of the weekly biotech podcast, “The Readout Loud.” You can reach Allison on Signal at AllisonDeAngelis.01. This week’s episode of “The Readout LOUD” is all about health politics.

We bring on FDA reporter Lizzy Lawrence to discuss Makary’s departure — why he is leaving, which of his policies will stick, and what we know about his acting replacement, Kyle Diamantas.Advertisement Washington correspondent Chelsea Cirruzzo also joins us to discuss a closely tracked Republican Senate primary election this weekend. Bill Cassidy, chair of the Senate health committee, is up against two upstart rivals, including a Trump-backed candidate. The outcome of the primary could have far reaching implications for Trump’s health care agenda.

For more on Makary’s departure, go here; to read more on what the Trump administration wants to see in the next commissioner, go here. For more on Cassidy’s primary race, go here. To read more on Biogen’s Alzheimer’s readout, go here; and to learn more about Regenxbio’s latest data on its gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, go here.

Be sure to sign up for “The Readout LOUD” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.Advertisement Alzheimer’s, Biogen, biotechnology, Congress, Donald Trump, FDA, rare diseases Submit a correction requestReprints Elaine Chen National Biotech Reporter Elaine Chen covers biotech, co-writes The Readout newsletter, and co-hosts STAT’s weekly biotech podcast, The Readout Loud. You can reach Elaine on Signal at elaineywchen.70. Adam Feuerstein Senior Writer, Biotech Adam Feuerstein is a senior writer and biotech columnist, reporting on the crossroads of drug development, business, Wall Street, and biotechnology.

He is also a co-host of the weekly biotech podcast The Readout Loud and author of the newsletter Adam’s Biotech Scorecard. You can reach Adam on Signal at stataf.54. Allison DeAngelis Biotech Startups and Venture Capital Reporter Allison covers what hot startups are getting up to, and who’s financing them.

She is also co-host of the weekly biotech podcast, “The Readout Loud.” You can reach Allison on Signal at AllisonDeAngelis.01. Newsletter Understand how science, health policy, and medicine shape the world every day Recommended The Readout LOUD May 7, 2026 Seaport’s IPO adventure, obesity pill battles, and Makary’s troubles The Readout LOUD April 30, 2026 STAT Plus: Hair-raising trial results, and Servier’s M&A wishlist Advertisement The Readout LOUD April 24, 2026 STAT Plus: A biotech VC on what Eli Lilly saw in a struggling cancer startup for $3.2B The Readout LOUD April 23, 2026 A CAR-T biotech’s dramatic turnaround, and drugmakers’ tactics to drive more scripts Biotech April 17, 2026 STAT Plus: A pancreatic cancer expert on why Revolution Medicines’ study could ‘open up a new era’ of treatment Subscriber Picks