The A24 documentary “You Can See Everything,” released today, centers on Elizabeth Holmes, who invited a film crew into her home days before beginning a long prison sentence. STAT notes that its reporters were at a 2016 clinical chemistry conference where Holmes was expected to present the company’s long-secret data and, essentially, did not. Holmes was convicted in 2022 of defrauding investors and sentenced to more than 11 years. STAT has also published an op-ed by Theranos whistleblower Tyler Shultz pointing to similarities between Holmes’ original efforts and a new diagnostics company started by her partner.
Separately, in a STAT First Opinion, clinical pharmacist Marcela Gottschald writes that patients’ reasons for stopping medication are often deeper than they first appear. Beyond forgetfulness, side effects, or misunderstanding severity, she describes patients who worry that taking medicine means losing control over their own bodies; skipping treatment can become a way to prove they can still function unaided. She illustrates this with a kidney transplant patient whose body attacked the donated organ after he stopped his immunosuppressants.
The same newsletter recaps the final day of STAT’s Summit, including Department of Justice plans to encourage healthcare firms and whistleblowers to report wrongdoing, Merck and Moderna’s search for new uses of their mRNA cancer vaccine beyond melanoma, and Rep. Jake Auchincloss’ proposal to let early-phase trials bypass pre-approval evaluation. These items are not directly connected; the newsletter presents them as a roundup of health and biotech news. Together, though, they reflect ongoing tensions around transparency, patient trust, and the pace of medical innovation.