Listen: Boardroom drama, whiskey-fueled science, & millionaires on mushrooms

Is Biogen bracing for a fight? What does Jack Daniels have to do with immunotherapy? And will “micro-dosing” light the way to actual therapies?

We discuss all that and more on the latest episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s biotech podcast. First, we dig into Biogen’s escalating problems with shareholder confidence, looking to the company’s past as a guide to what could be a rocky future. Then, STAT’s Matthew Herper joins us to talk about his story on the early days of cancer immunotherapy, a tale full of happenstance, sliding doors, and a fair amount of whiskey. Finally, STAT’s Meghana Keshavan dials in from the Milken Institute’s Global conference to discuss the rising popularity of psilocybin as a treatment for disease.

For more on what we cover, here’s a look at Biogen’s history; here’s Matt’s story on immunotherapy; and here’s a dispatch from Milken.

We’ll be back next Thursday evening — and every Thursday evening — so be sure to sign up on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

And if you have any feedback for us — topics to cover, guests to invite, vocal tics to cease — you can email [email protected].

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