February 25, 2023
Dan and Kirstie Brickey with their two year old Ali, who has cystic fibrosisKim Raff for STAT

‘Caught in the middle’: A battle between Vertex and insurers is leaving cystic fibrosis patients with crushing drug costs

A growing number of cystic fibrosis patients and their families like the Brickeys (above) are encountering sharp jumps in their out-of-pocket drug costs thanks to a grinding, behind-the-scenes struggle taking place between pharmaceutical companies and health insurers across the U.S. Read more.

By Ed Silverman



Illustration of a figure standing in front of a depression screening form
Eros Dervishi for STAT

How a depression test devised by a Zoloft marketer became a crutch for a failing mental health system

A bedrock of the U.S. mental health system — a nine-item questionnaire used to spot depression — began not with a doctor, but with a marketer. In an overstretched health care system warped by business interests, a STAT investigation shows how this simple tool has become a crutch — used in place of, rather than as a gateway to, thoughtful mental health care. Read more.

By Olivia Goldhill


photo illustration of healthy and unhealthy foods facing off, with googly eyesAlissa Ambrose/STAT

Cereal, pasta, and other food companies blast the FDA for a too-strict definition of ‘healthy’

General Mills, Kellogg’s, and the rest of the country’s cereal makers are mad at the FDA. So are the packaged food companies, the pasta industry, and the pickle lobby. The companies behind America’s favorite culinary indulgences are worried their products wouldn’t be considered “healthy” under a recent FDA proposal — and they’re urging regulators to reconsider. Read more.

By Nicholas Florko


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