Katie Drummond: Indeed. We’ve been emphasizing the notion of moving quickly and taking risks at WIRED over the last several months. We’re going to take a brief intermission, and when we return, we’ll share what you need to catch up on at WIRED today.
Welcome back to Uncanny Valley. I’m Katie Drummond, WIRED’s global editorial director, and I’m here with Zoë Schiffer, our director of business and industry. Zoë, before you head off, enlighten our listeners about the must-read articles on WIRED.com today, aside from the stories we’ve already discussed in this episode.
Zoë Schiffer: Alright. I wish I could present a cheerful, uplifting piece, but unfortunately, I’m delivering another rather grim story, authored by—
Katie Drummond: Oh, what a bummer.
Zoë Schiffer: I know. This piece is written by Caroline Haskins, a freelancer for us, and we recently announced that she’s joining the business desk—how exciting! She’s truly talented. I’m thrilled. Her article published yesterday discusses how budget cuts at the FDA under the Trump and Musk administrations are jeopardizing drug development. She sourced this information from several SEC filings of pharmaceutical companies.
Katie Drummond: So, combined with the SEC filings and your report with Emily from yesterday about credit card freeze issues, it appears that federal agencies are indeed facing significant slowdowns, which have far-reaching consequences.
Zoë Schiffer: Absolutely. Interestingly, pharmaceutical companies aren’t stating that the FDA is denying approval of their drugs, causing them to miss the market. Instead, they’re acknowledging that the agency was already moving slowly by design due to the immense stakes involved in drug development. Staffing and budget cuts raise serious concerns that progress could completely stall. For companies weighing whether to continue with an already approved drug or invest heavily in a new one that may not receive FDA clearance, the inclination might shift toward focusing resources on existing products instead. This shift could have grave implications for patients in need of new treatments.
Katie Drummond: Zoë, I genuinely appreciate the cheer you’ve brought to our discussion today. Thank you for being here. It’s all truly fascinating material, and I’m so thankful for the insights from you and the entire team.
Zoë Schiffer: I appreciate it—thanks so much for having me.
Katie Drummond: That wraps up our show for today. We will provide links to all the pieces we discussed in the show notes. Don’t miss Thursday’s episode of Uncanny Valley, which delves into Silicon Valley’s pro-natalist movement. If you enjoyed today’s content, please follow our show and rate us on your preferred podcast platform. To get in touch with us for questions, comments, or suggestions, write to uncannyvalley@wired.com.
Amar Lal at Macro Sound mixed this episode. Jake Lummus serves as our studio engineer. Jordan Bell is our executive producer, with Chris Bannon as Condé Nast’s head of global audio. I’m Katie Drummond, WIRED’s global editorial director.
Farewell.
