The future of heart drug research in the wake of study setbacks

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.Elaine’s stories explore the boom in new obesity treatments, new drug payment models, the ways companies are affected by FDA changes, and the emerging psychedelics drug sector. She 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. On this week’s episode of “The Readout LOUD”: the failure of two closely followed heart disease drugs and how these setbacks may impact the future of cardiovascular drug research. Plus, drug safety concerns weigh on some of the biggest companies in the sector. For years, it was widely believed that a deeper understanding of genetics was going to speed the development of newer and better medicines for patients with heart disease. But then came this year’s American Heart Association meeting, which was dominated by presentations of clinical trials that showed no benefit whatsoever for two drugs long thought to be genetically validated. Joining us to help sort out this cardiovascular conundrum and what it might portend for the future of drug research is our colleague and senior medical writer Matthew Herper. We also chat about drug safety concerns weighing on Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Novartis, and Alnylam’s stock price tumbling on growth concerns. Be sure to sign up for “The Readout LOUD” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.