Controversy around Sarepta. Plus, the Mount Sinai investigation continues, Eisai and Biogen's Alzheimer's drug, malaria vaccines, and more.

Happy Thursday, updaters! A new month brings a new batch of news. So while you wait to watch your next favorite Olympic event, check out the biggest stories in STAT this week.?

Sarepta’s censored video

Our colleague Adam Feuerstein started off the week with a big scoop. Sarepta Therapeutics demanded a prominent patient advocacy organization censor a video that contained criticism of the company’s recently approved gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy . The video was recorded during a conference last month in Orlando sponsored by one of the largest and most influential Duchenne advocacy groups.?

The incident raises questions about whether or not Sarepta uses its money to influence, or even muzzle, debate over its Duchenne medicines. Read the story and see the video clip .

Mount Sinai defends itself after STAT investigation

STAT's investigation into Mount Sinai's Living Brain Project caused the NYC hospital network to mount an aggressive campaign to blunt the fallout over revelations about its controversial research project in which brain biopsies are taken from patients undergoing deep brain stimulation.

Mount Sinai began contacting all five patients quoted in STAT's investigation into the day the story was published in an effort to discredit it. Statements were also collected from patients who praised their medical care and objected to how they were quoted or described by STAT, despite the fact that they had confirmed those characterizations prior to publication.

There is a lot to unpack so you should read the full story here .?

Jim Wilson is leaving Penn

Jim Wilson, a leading gene therapy researcher who has persisted through the field’s ups and downs , is leaving his longtime academic home at the University of Pennsylvania to found two new companies.

One of the companies, Gemma Biotherapeutics, will aim to build advanced medicines for patients with rare diseases. The other, called Franklin Biolabs, will serve as a contract research organization for companies working on genetic medicines.

Andrew Joseph has the details .?

Eisai and Biogen’s Alzheimer's drug

Patients with early Alzheimer’s disease treated with a medication developed by 卫材 and Biogen for up to three years experienced less cognitive decline than what’s expected of untreated patients based on historical data, according to new study results. The manufacturers said the data support long-term, continuous use of the drug.

Older GLP-1 drug for Alzheimer's??

A new study suggests that an older GLP-1 drug may help protect the brains of people with early Alzheimer’s disease, supporting the case for further research on the class of medications — originally developed for obesity and diabetes — in neurological diseases.

Elaine Chen has more .?

Merck shares drop

Shares of 默克 fell 9% after the company reported that in the second quarter, it saw a decrease in shipments of its HPV vaccine Gardasil in China . The company's CEO said the downward trend occurred across the entire HPV market in China, and was likely related to China’s crackdown on bribery and corruption.?

More research on statins?

If millions of Americans no longer qualify for a statin or a blood pressure medication based on a new calculator updated to better predict their risk, that could lead to 107,000 more heart attacks and strokes over 10 years , a new study estimates. It is the second research paper in as many months to draw attention to the widely used medicines that are designed to prevent heart disease.?

A blood screening test for colorectal cancer

In case you missed this big news earlier this week, the FDA approved a blood test intended to detect colon cancer, a product many experts hope will help catch cases of the disease early enough so that they can be more easily treated.

Learn more.

The quest to develop malaria vaccines

Malaria is one of the world’s biggest killers. Deaths caused by the disease have surpassed 600,000 a year and, in some countries, malaria accounts for 25% of all childhood deaths. For decades, scientists have struggled to devise vaccines that can offer protection.?

But they have now succeeded twice over. Our colleague Andrew Joseph takes you inside the 40-year quest to develop these vaccines and what they mean for the future of humanity.?

If you’re in a time crunch, read the four biggest takeaways from this story.?