Jared Whitlock

Jared Whitlock

@jaredwhitlock.bsky.social

features editor @endpts.com / fall 2021 fellow @ksjatmit.bsky.social Writing (and editing) stories on rare disease medicine, diagnostics and China Reach out privately on Signal: jaredwhitlock.73

1.1K followers222 following80 posts

Pinned

Jared Whitlock
@jaredwhitlock.bsky.social

ICYMI: In China, biotech startups are racing to make low-cost gene therapies, challenging multi-million dollar price tags and aiming to bolster global reach. endpoints.news/chinese-biot...

endpoints.newsIn China, a low-cost push to rival a life-saving, $2M medicineIndian veterinarian Nirnay Murthy sought Lantu Biopharma's experimental gene therapy for his son's spinal muscular atrophy after being unable to afford Novartis's $2.1M Zolgensma treatment.
Jared Whitlock
@jaredwhitlock.bsky.social

(1/3) Some personal news: After nearly four years at @endpts.com, I’m returning to freelance journalism. It's been a meaningful time. I've been lucky to be a part of Endpoints as the newsroom grew, picked up numerous awards and gained readers.

Jared Whitlock reposted

Carl Zimmer
@carlzimmer.com

"Russian flu," the pandemic that hit in 1977, bears an evolutionary signature of having emerged from a lab, perhaps as part of a failed vaccine effort. Covid, mpox, Ebola, and other influenza pandemics don't. Here's my story on a new way to trace the origins of pandemics. Gift link: nyti.ms/46N0W33

nyti.msnyti.ms

Jared Whitlock reposted

Ryan Cross
@scienceboss.bsky.social

EveryOne Medicines, a startup making individualized therapies for genetically unique diseases, is shutting down a week after the FDA announced a streamlined pathway for those types of bespoke medicines. @jaredwhitlock.bsky.social and I have the scoop for @endpts.com: endpoints.news/everyone-med...

endpoints.newsExclusive: EveryOne Medicines shuts down, ending custom cure venture that banked on new FDA pathwayEveryOne Medicines, a biotech developing individualized genetic therapies, to close after FDA's new guidance falls short of expectations for streamlined drug approvals.

Jared Whitlock reposted

Endpoints News
@endpts.com

A Chinese biotech says its gene therapy slowed aggressive brain cancer in an early human test, but the debated approach is already drawing skepticism from some researchers. endpoints.news/neuexcell-th...

endpoints.newsChinese biotech claims promising brain cancer results using debated approachNeuExcell Therapeutics says it slowed an aggressive form of cancer in the first human test of a gene therapy technique that aims to coax the brain into healing itself.

Jared Whitlock reposted

Endpoints News
@endpts.com

Can a Chinese drugmaker become Big Pharma? Hengrui is testing that idea, laying plans to move beyond dealmaking and sell its own drugs in the US and Europe as it grows into a global force.

endpoints.newsCan a Chinese drugmaker become a big pharma company? Hengrui is testing the watersWith a valuation of about $61.2 billion, Hengrui is now larger than Takeda and Bayer. But there’s still one big item on its bucket list: selling its own treatments outside of China.
Jared Whitlock
@jaredwhitlock.bsky.social

I'm late, but don't miss this piece from @scienceboss.bsky.social: Gene editing's search for a 'holy grail' has led to an explosion of tools, but few cures Via @endpts.com endpoints.news/as-gene-edit...

endpoints.newsGene editing's search for a 'holy grail' has led to an explosion of tools, but few curesFormer Intellia scientist John Finn reflects on gene editing's evolution and the closure of Tome Biosciences, highlighting the industry's focus on tools over medicines.
Jared Whitlock
@jaredwhitlock.bsky.social

China has a cheap, quick and quiet way to test novel therapies. Western genetic medicine makers want in endpoints.news/western-gene... Via @leileiwu.bsky.social and @scienceboss.bsky.social

endpoints.newsChina has a cheap, quick and quiet way to test novel therapies. Western genetic medicine makers want inIITs have grown increasingly popular among China researchers over the past decade, and have helped China’s fast-growing biotech sector catch up with rivals in the US and Europe. The very leniency that...
Jared Whitlock
@jaredwhitlock.bsky.social

Good piece from @leileiwu.bsky.social: Post-Hoc: As China moves beyond ‘me-too,’ do Western regulators need to reconsider? endpoints.news/as-china-mov...

endpoints.newsPost-Hoc: As China moves beyond ‘me-too,’ do Western regulators need to reconsider?Analysis: Chinese biotech dominates ESMO cancer conference with 3 major studies, including Kelun's Sac-TMT ADC showing 40% reduced death risk, sparking debate on FDA's stance on China-only data.
Jared Whitlock
@jaredwhitlock.bsky.social

Grail’s blood test got better at telling when a positive result actually means cancer based on study findings, potentially strengthening the company’s case for a wider rollout, though questions remain. endpoints.news/grails-cance...

endpoints.newsGrail reports fewer false alarms for blood cancer test ahead of FDA filingGrail’s blood test got better at telling when a positive result actually means cancer based on study findings, potentially strengthening the company’s case for a wider rollout, though questions remain...

Jared Whitlock reposted

melanie d.g. kaplan
@melaniedgkaplan.bsky.social

Thank you everyone for making yesterday such an amazing, dream-come-true pub day for Lab Dog! The fun continues today with a live in-studio interview on @wamu.org.web.brid.gy 1A. Tune in or catch it later on the podcast! www.npr.org/podcasts/510...

npr.org1AListening to the news can feel like a journey. But 1A guides you beyond the headlines – and cuts through the noise. Let's get to the heart of the story, together – on 1A.Support NPR and get your news ...

Jared Whitlock reposted

Natasha Loder
@natashaloder.bsky.social

“We will show the world that there is a better, more responsible, and economically more sensible way of drug development,” -- Chinese biotech offering a low-cost version of a gene therapy that saves the lives of small children but at a cost of $2m endpoints.news/chinese-biot...

endpoints.newsIn China, a low-cost push to rival a life-saving, $2M medicineIndian veterinarian Nirnay Murthy sought Lantu Biopharma's experimental gene therapy for his son's spinal muscular atrophy after being unable to afford Novartis's $2.1M Zolgensma treatment.
Jared Whitlock
@jaredwhitlock.bsky.social

For families, a $2.1M medicine can feel like both a miracle and an out-of-reach reality. Now, biotechs in China are racing to develop lower-cost alternatives: endpoints.news/chinese-biot...

endpoints.newsIn China, a low-cost push to rival a life-saving, $2M medicineIndian veterinarian Nirnay Murthy sought Lantu Biopharma's experimental gene therapy for his son's spinal muscular atrophy after being unable to afford Novartis's $2.1M Zolgensma treatment.
Jared Whitlock
@jaredwhitlock.bsky.social

HHS says ‘the science speaks for itself’ on mRNA cuts. Scientists it cites disagree Good piece from @maxbayer.bsky.social endpoints.news/researchers-...

endpoints.newsHHS says ‘the science speaks for itself’ on mRNA cuts. Some of the scientists it cites disagreeSome of the studies that underpin the Trump administration’s decision to veer away from mRNA vaccine research are being misapplied, co-authors of the work say, muddling the move by HHS and Secretary R...

Jared Whitlock reposted

Ryan Cross
@scienceboss.bsky.social

The session at #AAIC25 on Roche's next-gen #Alzheimers drug #trontinemab was jam packed and despite one patient's death, the excitement for this drug was palpable. Read more about the dramatic amyloid reduction and surprisingly low ARIA in @endpts.com - endpoints.news/roche-double...

endpoints.newsRoche doubles down on its Alzheimer's ambitions as next-gen amyloid-lowering drug excites scientistsRoche revealed the latest cut of data from its closely-watched Phase 1/2 study of trontinemab, an amyloid-targeting antibody designed to latch onto receptors that yank it across the protective blood-b...
Jared Whitlock
@jaredwhitlock.bsky.social

Sarepta Therapeutics said that a patient died in a clinical trial testing one of its gene therapies for limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, the latest death for a company that’s already under heightened scrutiny for safety concerns. endpoints.news/sarepta-pati...

endpoints.newsSarepta patient dies in limb-girdle study, latest death after earlier patient safety concernsPatient dies from liver failure in Sarepta Therapeutics' gene therapy trial for limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, following two deaths in company's Elevidys DMD program.

Jared Whitlock reposted

Megan Molteni
@mmolteni.bsky.social

Fascinating story today from @levfacher.bsky.social about a rehab center where patients are currently being treated for substance use disorder with GLP-1 drugs — even as clinical trials measuring their effectiveness as anti-addiction medications remain years from reading out data.

Lev Facher@levfacher.bsky.social

New: Inside the elite Pennsylvania rehab facility aggressively prescribing GLP-1s, normally used for weight loss, as medications to treat addiction “I truly think these medications work because obesity is an addiction to food.” www.statnews.com/2025/07/14/g...

statnews.comOzempic for addiction: How an elite rehab center is using GLP-1s to 'obliterate' all kinds of cravingsPointing to Ozempic as a paradigm shift, an elite rehab center is experimenting with GLP-1s to tame many forms of addiction.

Jared Whitlock reposted

Endpoints News
@endpts.com

In Focus: The Trump administration disbanded a federal newborn screening panel, and patients now face a hard and unpredictable path to diagnosis and treatment.

endpoints.newsThe Trump administration disbanded a newborn screening panel. Advocates now face a harder pathatient groups face a harder and unpredictable path going state-by-state to boost screening for rare but treatable conditions after the Trump administration disbanded a federal advisory committee on ne...
Jared Whitlock
@jaredwhitlock.bsky.social

The Trump administration disbanded a newborn screening panel. Advocates now face a harder path. “It’s not acceptance. It’s next-level rage," one parent told me. endpoints.news/the-trump-ad...

endpoints.newsThe Trump administration disbanded a newborn screening panel. Advocates now face a harder pathatient groups face a harder and unpredictable path going state-by-state to boost screening for rare but treatable conditions after the Trump administration disbanded a federal advisory committee on ne...

Jared Whitlock reposted

Endpoints News
@endpts.com

As China’s drug industry expands, US biotech investors are divided: cash in or push back? Some, like Curie.Bio’s Zach Weinberg, are calling for action to limit China’s growing role in R&D.

endpoints.newsChina’s rise splits US biotech investors: Cash in, or counter?US investors debate response to China's rise in drug development, with some seeing a national security threat while others embrace collaboration. FDA and policymakers consider reforms to maintain comp...
Jared Whitlock
@jaredwhitlock.bsky.social

One biotech VC calls China a threat. Another says Americans won’t forgive politicians who impede life-saving drugs. Inside the investor split on China’s ascent in drug development. w/ @andrewedunn.bsky.social + @kylelahucik.bsky.social, @maxbayer.bsky.social endpoints.news/us-investors...

endpoints.newsChina’s rise splits US biotech investors: Cash in, or counter?US investors debate response to China's rise in drug development, with some seeing a national security threat while others embrace collaboration. FDA and policymakers consider reforms to maintain comp...

Jared Whitlock reposted

Pearl Freier
@pearlf.bsky.social

"In 25 years of covering the FDA, this would be a first," said @statnews.com Matt Herper commenting on the @endpts.com story about Makary today. See below #medsky #biosky

Matthew Herper@matthewherper.bsky.social

This is very concerning. Endpoints reports that FDA chief Makary sought rejection of KalVista's drug after the company said FDA staffing issues were resulting in delays to its application. In 25 years of covering the FDA, this would be a first. endpoints.news/sources-fda-...

endpoints.newsExclusive: FDA's Makary sought rejection of KalVista’s drug in an unusual move by commissioner, sources sayFDA Commissioner Marty Makary reportedly attempted to reject KalVista Pharmaceuticals' drug application, sources said. An HHS spokesperson calls the claim 'totally false.'
Jared Whitlock
@jaredwhitlock.bsky.social

Great scoop from @andrewedunn.bsky.social: Exclusive: FDA's Makary sought rejection of KalVista’s drug in an unusual move by commissioner, sources say endpoints.news/sources-fda-...

endpoints.newsExclusive: FDA's Makary sought rejection of KalVista’s drug in an unusual move by commissioner, sources sayFDA Commissioner Marty Makary reportedly attempted to reject KalVista Pharmaceuticals' drug application, sources said. An HHS spokesperson calls the claim 'totally false.'

Jared Whitlock reposted

Ardem Patapoutian
@ardemp.bskyverified.social

I spoke with Jade Hindmon, host of @kpbssandiego.bsky.social Midday Edition, about the consequences of the current administration’s cuts to science funding. Please share to help spread the word and raise awareness. www.kpbs.org/podcasts/kpb...

kpbs.orgNobel laureate on how Trump's cuts are hurting scienceNeuroscientist, biologist and 2021 Nobel Prize winner Ardem Patapoutian joined Midday Edition to talk about how the Trump administration's effort to cut back on science spending is impacting researche...

Jared Whitlock reposted

Shawn Baker
@sandiegomics.bsky.social

@jaredwhitlock.bsky.social has written an article about the many new companies spun out/spawned by ex-Illuminites. In it he references the crowdsourced "Illumina Diaspora" database Millard Chan and I created to keep track of them all. sandiegomics.com/illumina-dia... endpts.com/how-illumina...

endpts.comDNA giant Illumina spawned an ecosystem of competitors and customersFor Illumina, its former employees are both a boon and a problem. In the 27 years since its founding, the DNA sequencing company unlocked new frontiers in biology, medicine and ...
Jared Whitlock
@jaredwhitlock.bsky.social

DNA giant Illumina spawned an ecosystem. Now its former employees are both its customers and fiercest competitors. My latest is an in-depth look at a different kind of corporate lineage story, via @endpts.com endpts.com/how-illumina...

endpts.comDNA giant Illumina spawned an ecosystem of competitors and customersFor Illumina, its former employees are both a boon and a problem. In the 27 years since its founding, the DNA sequencing company unlocked new frontiers in biology, medicine and ...

Jared Whitlock reposted

Endpoints News
@endpts.com

During the pandemic boom years, young biotechs signed huge, long-term leases for space in a competitive market. Now, many of them are being dragged down by those big obligations... and can't get rid of them, @andrewedunn.bsky.social reports

endpts.comBig leases, bigger regrets: Biotech slump turns swanky offices from asset into liabilityBiotech companies face financial strain from expensive long-term leases signed during pandemic boom, with Ginkgo Bioworks, Prime Medicine & others struggling with high lease obligations amid market do...
Jared Whitlock
@jaredwhitlock.bsky.social

I'm late to the party but don't miss this investigation from @shelbylivingston.bsky.social into Empower, a compounding pharmacy that produces weight loss medications and other drugs. endpts.com/pharmacy-emp...

endpts.comExclusive: Drug compounder Empower was built on risky shortcuts, ex-employees and inspections allegeEmpower Pharmacy has used poor-quality ingredients, skirted regulations and pushed out or sued employees who raised concerns, an Endpoints News investigation found.

Jared Whitlock reposted

Brittany Trang
@brittanytrang.com

Ahead of a panel at #STATBreakthrough, UnitedHealth sent a statement about how STAT's Pulitzer-recognized investigation of UnitedHealthcare using AI to deny claims is false and accuses STAT of "profiting" off of bias. UnitedHealth has never gone on the record with STAT on this topic.

Jared Whitlock
@jaredwhitlock.bsky.social

Illumina on Thursday said the SEC has closed its investigation into the company’s $8 billion purchase of Grail, confirming @endpts.com reporting. endpts.com/illumina-con...

endpts.comIllumina confirms SEC has closed investigation into $8B Grail dealIllumina on Thursday said the SEC has closed its investigation into the company's $8 billion purchase of Grail and doesn't intend to pursue enforcement action, confirming Endpoints News' reporting ear...
Jared Whitlock
@jaredwhitlock.bsky.social

'Find a way, or make one': How two scientists hope to revitalize CRISPR's rare disease crisis Good piece from @scienceboss.bsky.social on efforts from @urnov.bsky.social and others endpts.com/crispr-isnt-...

endpts.com'Find a way, or make one': How two scientists hope to revitalize CRISPR's rare disease crisisFyodor Urnov and Kiran Musunuru advocate for streamlined CRISPR treatments for rare genetic diseases, partnering with Danaher and CHOP to develop custom therapies for HLH and metabolic disorders.