Chris Martin, Verona Pharma 🇬🇧 | Ohtuvayre, COPD, Execution | E34

We’re online with Chris Martin, COO of the 6th most valuable biotech in Europe, Verona Pharma. Their amazing story sees them bring a fully-owned respiratory drug to market and multiply its valuation by 120x within the last 5 years (from $50M to $6B today) 💸We talk about the commercial rollout of Ohtuvayre, Verona’s drug. We also discuss the British roots of the company and why execution is the most important in biotech.⭐️ ABOUT THE SPEAKERChris Martin joined Verona Pharma as their COO in 2020. He’s at the helm of Verona’s commercial strategy, driving the company’s progress in respiratory medicine. Before Verona, Chris played a key role as Executive Director of Marketing at SK Life Science, where he helped launch the CNS treatment XCOPRI® (cenobamate tablets). He also led the marketing efforts at Cempra, guiding the launch of their first product, and spent a decade at Salix Pharmaceuticals, where he led the Xifaxan® marketing team through its acquisition by Valeant Pharmaceuticals.🔗 LINKS MENTIONED- Verona Pharma’s corporate presentation: https://www.veronapharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/VRNA-Presentation-May-2025.pdf- Verona website: [http://veronapharma.com](http://veronapharma.com/)- Ohtuvayre website: [http://ohtuvayre.com](http://ohtuvayre.com/)- Q1 2025 results: https://www.veronapharma.com/news/verona-pharma-reports-first-quarter-2025-financial-results-and-provides-corporate-update/- Royalty pharma website: [https://www.royaltypharma.com](https://www.royaltypharma.com/)- Adrian Rawcliffe, Adaptimmune 🇬🇧 | Tecelra, TCR Cell Therapy | E22: https://flot.bio/episode/adrian-rawcliffe-adaptimmune/- Bahija Jallal, Immunocore 🇬🇧 | Commercial, Diversity, and AI | E14: https://flot.bio/episode/bahija-jallal-immunocore/

- The 25 Most Valuable Biotech Companies in Europe in 2025: https://flot.bio/most-valuable-biotech-companies-europe-2025/

📜 TRANSCRIPTRead the full transcript here: https://flot.bio/episode/chris-martin-verona-pharma-copd/💸 DONATEWe welcome donations from individuals and businesses to support our podcast and allow us to create even more content: https://www.paypal.me/PhilipHemme⭐️ SPONSORSHIPReady to amplify your brand to influential leaders in biotech and biopharma? Contact nick@flot.bio and unlock sponsorship opportunities in our podcasts!🫶 FOLLOW US- Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/h_fnmH- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flot-bio/- X (Twitter): https://x.com/FlotBio🙏 LIKE/FOLLOW/REVIEWDid you enjoy the episode? Please hit the like and subscribe button. Also, please let me know your thoughts in the comments below.🎙️ ABOUT FLOT.BIOFlot.bio is a show to watch the best Europeans in biotech to help you grow. Hosted by Philip Hemme. 20k monthly views. Free.⏰ TIMESTAMPS- [00:00:00] Intro- [00:02:04] Commercial rollout of Ohtuvayre- [00:06:42] Fierce competition in COPD- [00:10:34] UK origins of Verona Pharma- [00:21:24] Strong Clinical data for Chronic Disease Patients- [00:26:01] Reaching Profitability for Verona Pharma- [00:30:58] Chris Martin Joining Verona Pharma- [00:34:51] Execution is Key to Success in Biotech- [00:42:48] How to get to the top in Biotech without a background in science- [00:46:33] Royalty model in Biotech- Quickfire