Rick Berke
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rickberke.bsky.social
Rick Berke
@rickberke.bsky.social
3.1K followers 270 following 150 posts
Co-founder & Executive Editor, STAT (www.statnews.com) @statnews.bsky.social Longtime reporter/editor NYT
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rickberke.bsky.social
Rick Berke @rickberke.bsky.social · 14h
SCOOP: Arena BioWorks, an ambitious biomedical institute backed by billionaires, abruptly shuts down www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/a... via @statnews.com
Arena BioWorks, an ambitious biomedical institute backed by billionaires, abruptly shuts down
Exclusive: Arena Bioworks, the buzzy research institute that launched with $500 million to support a decade of scientific R&D, is abruptly shutting down, STAT has learned.
www.statnews.com
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rickberke.bsky.social
Rick Berke @rickberke.bsky.social · 1d
In Texas, the nation’s MAHA capital, many are frustrated with the status quo in health care www.statnews.com/2025/11/03/m... via @statnews.com @isabellacueto.bsky.social
In Texas, the nation's MAHA capital, many are frustrated with the status quo in health care
Texas is the MAHA capital of the country — offering a look at health policies that may soon roll across the country.
www.statnews.com
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rickberke.bsky.social
Rick Berke @rickberke.bsky.social · 2d
Medicare finalizes rule to lower payments for surgeries www.statnews.com/2025/11/01/m... via @statnews.com @tarabannow.bsky.social
Medicare finalizes rule to lower payments for surgeries
This move is a blow to the powerful physician lobby that has long controlled how procedures are priced.
www.statnews.com
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rickberke.bsky.social
Rick Berke @rickberke.bsky.social · 3d
States reject Dr. Oz’s claims of Medicaid spending on undocumented immigrants
Sharp reporting by @danielpayne.bsky.social
www.statnews.com/2025/11/01/d... via @statnews.com
States reject Dr. Oz’s claims of Medicaid spending on undocumented immigrants
Officials from Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, and Washington say CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz posted incorrect figures about their Medicaid spending on X.
www.statnews.com
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rickberke.bsky.social
Rick Berke @rickberke.bsky.social · 8d
Hope and ‘no regrets’: How pancreatic cancer surgeon Dr. Michael Zinner faced a pancreatic cancer diagnosis www.statnews.com/2025/10/27/h... via @statnews.com
Hope and ‘no regrets’: How pancreatic cancer surgeon Dr. Michael Zinner faced a pancreatic cancer diagnosis
Hope and ‘no regrets’: How pancreatic cancer surgeon Dr. Michael Zinner faced a pancreatic cancer diagnosis
www.statnews.com
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rickberke.bsky.social
Rick Berke @rickberke.bsky.social · Sep 30
Trump, Pfizer, and the art of a drug pricing deal www.statnews.com/2025/09/30/w... via @statnews.com @matthewherper.bsky.social
Trump, Pfizer, and the art of a drug pricing deal
The Trump administration’s posture toward the pharma industry has largely been driven by threats, and a tense negotiation over prices. On Tuesday, in the Oval Office, there was talk of friendship.
www.statnews.com
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rickberke.bsky.social
Rick Berke @rickberke.bsky.social · Sep 29
Harvard public health school confronts severe financial crisis, seeks corporate sponsors www.statnews.com/2025/09/28/h... via @statnews.com
Harvard public health school confronts severe financial crisis, seeks corporate sponsors
Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health faces a harsh new reality: the government is shifting away from funding public health.
www.statnews.com
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rickberke.bsky.social
Rick Berke @rickberke.bsky.social · Sep 29
Perimenopause is the new buzzword in the business of women’s health www.statnews.com/2025/09/29/p... via @statnews.com @sarah-todd.bsky.social
Perimenopause is the new buzzword in the business of women’s health
Perimenopause brings real symptoms and a booming market of supplements, apps, and therapies. What’s hype, what’s helpful, and what women need to know.
www.statnews.com
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rickberke.bsky.social
Rick Berke @rickberke.bsky.social · Sep 22
FDA aims to expand use of leucovorin as RFK Jr. touts it as autism treatment www.statnews.com/2025/09/22/f... via @statnews.com @danielpayne.bsky.social @drewqjoseph.bsky.social
FDA aims to expand use of leucovorin as RFK Jr. touts it as autism treatment
The Trump administration is touting leucovorin as a treatment for autism.
www.statnews.com
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rickberke.bsky.social
Rick Berke @rickberke.bsky.social · Sep 19
This follows great reporting by @rosebroderick.bsky.social CDC reverses telework pause that sparked complaints over its impact on workers with disabilities www.statnews.com/2025/09/19/c... via @statnews.com
CDC reverses telework pause that sparked complaints over its impact on workers with disabilities
The CDC has rescinded a policy issued on Monday that paused remote work for employees, including those with disabilities
www.statnews.com
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rickberke.bsky.social
Rick Berke @rickberke.bsky.social · Sep 19
FDA approves ultra-rare disease drug that became a symbol of uncertainty over regulatory standards www.statnews.com/pharmalot/20... via @statnews.com @pharmalot.bsky.social
FDA approves ultra-rare disease drug that became a symbol of uncertainty over regulatory standards
After months of uncertainty, the FDA offered accelerated approval for a treatment for Barth syndrome.
www.statnews.com
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rickberke.bsky.social
Rick Berke @rickberke.bsky.social · Sep 17
FDA warning letters show how it intends to ratchet up pressure over drug ads www.statnews.com/2025/09/17/f... via @statnews.com @pharmalot.bsky.social @lizzylawrence.bsky.social
FDA warning letters show how it intends to ratchet up pressure over drug ads
The FDA's crackdown on drug advertising is unprecedented, but some experts questioned whether the agency has the staff to carry it out.
www.statnews.com
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rickberke.bsky.social
Rick Berke @rickberke.bsky.social · Sep 1
Trump says CDC is ‘being ripped apart’ over Covid products, calls for drugmakers to prove their benefits www.statnews.com/2025/09/01/t... via @statnews.com @danielpayne.bsky.social @matthewherper.bsky.social
Trump says CDC is ‘being ripped apart’ over Covid products, calls for drugmakers to prove their benefits
President Trump on Monday urged pharma companies to publicly prove that their Covid-19 products work, saying in a Truth Social post that the CDC is "being ripped apart over this question.”
www.statnews.com
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Reposted by Rick Berke
danielpayne.bsky.social
Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · Sep 1
New: Trump weighs in on the “mess” at CDC

www.statnews.com/2025/09/01/t...
Trump says CDC is ‘being ripped apart’ over Covid products, calls for drugmakers to prove their benefits
President Trump on Monday urged pharma companies to publicly prove that their Covid-19 products work, saying in a Truth Social post that the CDC is "being ripped apart over this question.”
www.statnews.com
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rickberke.bsky.social
Rick Berke @rickberke.bsky.social · Aug 13
Inside the American Medical Association’s sudden strategy shift in Washington www.statnews.com/2025/08/13/a... via @statnews.com @theresagaff.bsky.social
Inside the American Medical Association's sudden strategy shift in Washington
The AMA has shifted from a behind-the-scenes lobbying strategy to more forceful public advocacy against President Trump's health care policies.
www.statnews.com
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rickberke.bsky.social
Rick Berke @rickberke.bsky.social · Aug 12
Insecure about their looks, more men than ever are getting plastic surgery www.statnews.com/2025/08/12/w... via @statnews.com
Insecure about their looks, more men than ever are getting plastic surgery
Insecure about their looks, more men than ever are getting plastic surgery.
www.statnews.com
rickberke.bsky.social
Rick Berke @rickberke.bsky.social · Aug 11
Quite the talker: "I just packed Narcan for my daughter’s dorm room. Public health made it possible''
www.statnews.com/2025/08/11/p... via @statnews.com
I just packed Narcan for my daughter’s dorm room. Public health made it possible
Narcan didn’t just magically show up on pharmacy shelves. It exists because people made it happen.
www.statnews.com
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rickberke.bsky.social
Rick Berke @rickberke.bsky.social · Aug 9
Another swerve in the news: Vinay Prasad returns to the FDA, two weeks after his ouster www.statnews.com/2025/08/09/v... via @statnews.com @lizzylawrence.bsky.social
Vinay Prasad returns to the FDA, weeks after his ouster
HFO HFO Vinay Prasad returns to a top FDA role just weeks after his abrupt dismissal.
www.statnews.com
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rickberke.bsky.social
Rick Berke @rickberke.bsky.social · Aug 2
MAGA influencers take a sudden interest in Medicare Advantage reforms, echoing a dark money group www.statnews.com/2025/08/01/m... via @statnews.com @caseyross.bsky.social
MAGA influencers take a sudden interest in Medicare Advantage reforms, echoing a dark money group
It's not clear why right wing influencers are suddenly pushing back against Medicare reforms.
www.statnews.com
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rickberke.bsky.social
Rick Berke @rickberke.bsky.social · Jul 30
Kevin Hall can now speak freely. He's the top nutrition scientist who is clashing with MAHA www.statnews.com/2025/07/30/k... via @statnews.com
Kevin Hall, uncensored: Top nutrition scientist on clashing with MAHA and what he actually eats
'They’re not interested in the science': Former NIH nutrition scientist Kevin Hall on how his work with MAHA fell apart.
www.statnews.com
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rickberke.bsky.social
Rick Berke @rickberke.bsky.social · Jul 29
Tobacco use, binge drinking decrease as Americans consume more marijuana, survey finds www.statnews.com/2025/07/29/m... via @statnews.com @levfacher.bsky.social
Tobacco use, binge drinking decrease as Americans consume more marijuana, survey finds
Americans are binge drinking and smoking tobacco less but consuming marijuana significantly more, according to a new federal survey on drug use and mental health.
www.statnews.com
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rickberke.bsky.social
Rick Berke @rickberke.bsky.social · Jul 29
"Somberly conveyed lower profit expectations.''
UnitedHealth CEO says some parts of business need ‘fundamental reorientation’ www.statnews.com/2025/07/29/u... via @statnews.com @bobjherman.bsky.social @tarabannow.bsky.social
UnitedHealth CEO says some parts of business need ‘fundamental reorientation’
With health insurers under pressure, UnitedHealth CEO Stephen Hemsley said that some parts of the business need "fundamental reorientation."
www.statnews.com
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rickberke.bsky.social
Rick Berke @rickberke.bsky.social · Jul 29
Kennedy, disability advocates paint very different realities as ADA turns 35 www.statnews.com/2025/07/28/a... via @statnews.com @rosebroderick.bsky.social
Kennedy, disability advocates paint very different realities as ADA turns 35
Kennedy and advocates have very different views on how his tenure impacts the community of Americans with disabilities.
www.statnews.com
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rickberke.bsky.social
Rick Berke @rickberke.bsky.social · Jul 28
Eye-opening essay by @sarah-todd.bsky.social: What I learned by going off SSRIs after nearly a decade www.statnews.com/2025/07/28/g... via @statnews.com
What I learned by going off SSRIs after nearly a decade
“From my perspective — both as someone who’s taken antidepressants, and as a reporter at STAT — the conversation about the drugs demands nuance,” writes @SarahLizChar.
www.statnews.com
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Reposted by Rick Berke
jonathanwosen.bsky.social
Jonathan Wosen @jonathanwosen.bsky.social · Jul 25
FDA and NIH are moving away from animal testing. Scientists are split on whether that's a good idea, @marissa-russo.bsky.social and I report for @statnews.com after talking with 10+ researchers across academia and biotech.
www.statnews.com/2025/07/25/n...
NIH, FDA plan to reduce animal testing draws mixed reactions among scientists
As the Trump administration reshapes biomedicine, it wants to change how scientists test drug safety: animal research.
www.statnews.com
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