AstraZeneca and the very good, then quite bad, then deeply confusing week

Who’s to blame for the AstraZeneca vaccine scandal? Can boldness backfire for pharma CEOs? And is the U.S.-U.K. special relationship on the rocks?

We discuss all that and more this week on “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s biotech podcast. We’re devoting this week’s episode to the week of whiplash news about AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine, subject of a baffling international incident with consequences still unfolding. First, we explain the series of late-night announcements that made global headlines. Then, our STAT colleague Helen Branswell joins us to discuss the implications for AstraZeneca, vaccine confidence, and the global effort to get doses in arms. Finally, STAT’s Matthew Herper calls in to talk about Pascal Soriot, the hard-charging AstraZeneca CEO whose previously feted boldness might have backfired when it came to Covid-19.

For more on what we cover, here’s the latest on AstraZeneca; here’s more on Soriot; here’s where you can subscribe to the First Opinion Podcast; and here’s our complete coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

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