By Allison DeAngelis, Elaine Chen, and Adam Feuerstein

March 12, 2026

Allison DeAngelis

[email protected]

Allison DeAngelis is the East Coast biotech and venture capital reporter at STAT, reporting where scientific ideas and money meet. She is also co-host of the weekly biotech podcast, The Readout Loud. You can reach Allison on Signal at AllisonDeAngelis.01.

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.

How was a known friend of Jeffrey Epstein able to raise $100 million, with the help of a prominent biotech VC? And will Vinay Prasad return to the Food and Drug Administration for a “three-peat”?


We discuss all that and more on the latest episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s weekly biotech podcast.

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Damian Garde joins Allison, Adam, and Elaine to discuss his article about Boris Nikolic, a well-connected biotech investor with deep ties to Jeffrey Epstein, who has raised a new biotech investment firm. The hosts also talk about Prasad’s second exit from the FDA and a congressman’s probing of the agency’s rare disease drug denials. And they recap Novo Nordisk and Hims’ detente and Xenon Pharmaceuticals’ promising seizure data.

Be sure to sign up for “The Readout LOUD” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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  1. Allison DeAngelis

    Biotech Startups and Venture Capital Reporter

    Allison DeAngelis is the East Coast biotech and venture capital reporter at STAT, reporting where scientific ideas and money meet. She is also co-host of the weekly biotech podcast, The Readout Loud. You can reach Allison on Signal at AllisonDeAngelis.01.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.