The view from overseas on tumult in U.S. science

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Happy V-Day! Gorge on heart-shaped chocolate and ponder the implications of RFK Jr. being sworn in as health secretary. Today, we talk about that, as well as new cancer data from Corbus Pharma, Europe’s reaction to talk of an academic brain drain in the U.S., and more.

The need-to-know this morning

Moderna missed earnings forecasts, posting a net loss of $1.1 billion, or $2.91 per share, 23% below the expectations of analysts polled by Visible Alpha. Revenue was 4% higher than forecasts, mostly due to higher than expected sales of Moderna’s Covid vaccine, SpikeVax. In January, the company cut its sales guidance for 2025 by $1 billion to $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion. Analysts still generally expect it to hit the higher end of that range.

RFK Jr. sworn in as health secretary, leading MAHA

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been sworn in as the U.S. health secretary, and was immediately appointed chair of President Trump’s new “Make America Healthy Again” commission. The aim is investigating a rise in childhood chronic illnesses, and delivering policy recommendations. The commission will examine factors like diet, environmental toxins, medical treatments, and corporate influence, with an initial report due in 100 days.

Kennedy, a longtime critic of pharmaceutical companies and vaccines, has pushed fringe health theories, raising concerns about the commission’s direction. His nomination faced strong opposition from Democrats, with only Sen. Mitch McConnell breaking Republican ranks to oppose him. Trump and Kennedy both blame the pharmaceutical industry and federal health agencies for chronic disease mismanagement, positioning the MAHA initiative as a challenge to established medical dogma.

Why are AI drug developers so secretive?

What are “indirect costs” for universities? And why are some young scientists looking at opportunities abroad?

We bring on biotech reporter Jonathan Wosen to discuss the NIH’s decision to dramatically cut funding for overhead costs paid to research institutions and the potential implications for U.S. biomedical innovation. We also chat with health tech reporter Brittany Trang about the claims that two drug developers, Absci and Generate:Biomedicines, have made about the capabilities of their artificial intelligence technologies, and why some experts are skeptical.

Listen here.

Corbus releases new data on its ADC

An experimental antibody-drug conjugate made by Corbus Pharmaceuticals showed a 27% overall response rate, mirroring results from a similar study in China. Licensed from China’s CSPC Pharmaceuticals, CRB-701 targets the Nectin-4 protein and delivers chemotherapy with potentially fewer side effects than Padcev, a blockbuster ADC made by Pfizer.

Early results suggest that CRB-701 may cause less peripheral neuropathy and rash compared to Padcev, and better contain its chemotherapy payload within tumors, STAT’s Adam Feuerstein writes.

The view from overseas on tumult in U.S. science

President Trump’s new restrictions on science funding and research policies are raising concern about a potential exodus of U.S. scientists to other countries. Europe has long contended with its own brain drain, and has tried to reverse it in recent years by increasing research funding.

But the extent to which Europe, in particular, can absorb new talent remains unclear, STAT’s Andrew Joseph reports.

“We have a situation right now, for better and for worse, a geopolitical situation where I think many people would like to pursue a career in Europe,” the leader of a consortium of science-focused universities in Europe told him. But raising the funding to attract international talent, he said, “is going way too slow. This should be a top priority.”

Meanwhile, China, the Middle East, and other regions have been investing heavily in biotechnology and academic institutions, also attracting international talent.