Episode 195: Califf's sudden jeopardy, the quest for a PCSK9 pill, & Covid vaccines for kids

Does President Biden care about the FDA? What can aerobics instructors teach us about genetics? And when can kids get Covid-19 vaccines? STAT Washington correspondent Nicholas Florko joins us to chat about why Robert Califf, once a shoo-in to be the next FDA commissioner, is suddenly in serious jeopardy. Then, we examine one of the coolest drug-discovery stories in medicine with Merck’s head of research, Dean Li, who joins us to talk about the company’s efforts to develop an oral cholesterol pill targeting PCSK9.