Business Of Biotech

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. Ahmed Hamdy, MD didn’t ask to be the subject of Nathan Vardi's new book For Blood and Money: Billionaires, Biotech, and the Quest for a Blockbuster Drug. In fact, that particular chapter of Dr. Hamdy’s career is one he’d rather not relive. But, in display of the resilience required of biotech leadership, Hamdy made a raging comeback. On this week’s episode of the Business of Biotech, we dive into Hamdy’s resurrection; how he shepherded Acerta Pharma all the way to a multibillion dollar blockbuster exit with Astra Zeneca and his plans to recreate that success in his new post as CEO and Founder at cancer therapeutics-focused Vincerx Pharma.Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. Last October, we dropped an episode dissecting the relationship between Ray Therapeutics and one of its lead funders, 4BIO, and it quickly rocketed to an all-time Business of Biotech fan favorite. This week, we’re doing it again with a candid, behind-the-scenes breakdown of how Vedanta Biosciences secured the support of K2 Health Ventures in its recent $100 million+ financing to fund a pivotal Phase 3 study. Join us as we dissect a story that started when Vedanta CEO Bernat Olle, Ph.D. met K2HV’s Founding Managing Director & CEO Parag Shah on a mountain during the Timmerman Traverse. Their story serves as a guide to ensuring the cultural and strategic alignment of science and finance.Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. Vaxxinity’s John Krayacich likes taking big swings at big indications. He’s played key roles on the teams that launched Lipitor, Lyrica, and Neurontin, which have had measurable impacts on global populations of people suffering from cardiovascular disease, CNS disorders, and pain. He found those opportunities at companies like LEO, Novartis, Parke Davis, and Pfizer. Now, Krayacich is taking big swings at a new set of incredibly challenging candidates—immunotherapeutic vaccines for neurodegenerative and chronic diseases like Alzheimer’s, Dementia with Lewy Bodies, Multiple System Atrophy, Parkinson’s, Migraine, and Hypercholesterolemia. On this episode of the Business of Biotech, the Chief Business Officer shares his inspiration and strategy for seeing therapeutics for big, global patient populations through the commercial finish line. Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. Dr. Adrienne Leussa is one of my favorite follows. If the booming biotech scene on an incredibly diverse continent of 1.2 billion people interests you, she should be one of your faves, too. Dr. Leussa's intellect, energy, and glowing spirit contribute to her ambassadorship of the African biotech scene. She's an entrepreneur, a visionary, a communicator, and a tireless advocate for African biotech opportunity. On today's epsiode of the Business of Biotech, we share a lot of laughs as we learn how Adrienne's entrepreneurial beginnings selling nuts and lollies on the streets of Yaounde, Cameroon set the foundation for an accelerated academic career and a passion for bio business development. We also dive into Africa's growing biotech scene, discussing the support infrastructure available for budding entrepreneurs and the importance of technology transfer and commercial research innovations from local universities. Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. Allan Shaw isn't the only insider who's preemptively critical of the impact the IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) will have on the biopharma industry.  Allan's back this week with analysis of what he and others are tongue-in-cheek calling the "innovation reduction act." He posits that the act's removal of certain protections  will stifle momentum by disincentivizing the pursuit of novel discoveries in molecules small and large. He also suggests that the impact of the IRA will ultimately cost patients and payers more. Tune in to learn why.Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. The Business of Biotech took a road trip to Pittsburgh to visit with Peptilogics CEO and founder Dr. Jonathan Steckbeck, whose Ph.D. work was inspired by the loss of his father-in-law to a hospital-borne infection. That work subsequently led to the formation of a company committed to leveraging peptide therapeutics to address PJI (prosthetic joint infection), cystic fibrosis infection, as well as rare genetic disease and oncological indications. Dr. Steckbeck walks us through the transition of his academic work into a clinical-stage company, how he's sustaining the company in a lean capital market, and the virtues of doing biotech business in Pittsburgh. Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. Since Dan O'Connor stepped in as CEO at Ambrx late last year, the company's stock has rallied on the revival of a previously-shelved anti-HER2 ADC. It also raised $78 million and completed its ATM (at-the-market) offering. O'Connor is no stranger to overcoming adversity. A former marine captain, he was among the first deployed to the Persian Gulf to fight in Operation Desert Shield. While his leadership at Ambrx is anything but militaristic, he ascribes much of his style, and certainly his approach to adverse conditions,  to his military time. On this episode of the Business of Biotech, we welcome back Dan O'Connor to discuss the resuregence of Ambrx and leadership resilience in an industry that demands it. Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. Like many of us, Howard Berman, Ph.D. has personal experience with the tragedy of cognitive decline. Neurodegenerative disorders are on the rise, and when one afflicted his father — a triple board-certified physician — he saw firsthand that they don't discriminate. Berman has dedicated his career to addressing neuro, autoimmune, and metabolic diseases, having founded Nicoya Health in 2020 and overseeing its merger with Coya Therapeutics the following year. The company came out of the gates this year fueled by an 11th-hour 2022 IPO, one of just a dozen on the year. Berman joined the Business of Biotech to share his strategy during a stingy stretch in biotech capital markets. Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. What are biopharma's greatest skilled manufacturing labor needs, and what's the industry doing to fill them? John Balchunas is on the front lines in his position as Workforce Director at NIIMBL, the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals, and he says advanced degrees and pedigrees aren't the answer. The breadth and depth of NIIMBL's efforts to influence the next generation of the biopharma workforce — from  high school vocational programs to community colleges and on-the-job development—might surprise you. Listen in as Balchunas brings the Business of Biotech up to speed on a training and development agenda that plants seeds early and often. Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. Flagship Pioneering is fertile ground for a bevy of blossoming biotechs, and one of its most prolific sowers is General Partner Avak Kahvejian, Ph.D. Dr. Kahvejian counts Seres Therapeutics, Rubius Therapeutics, Codiak BioSciences, Cygnal Therapeutics, Ring Therapeutics, Cellarity, Laronde, and Generate Biomedicines among the companies he's played a leading hand in launching. On this episode of the Business of Biotech, Kahvejian takes us under the hood of one of the most burgeoning businesses in biotech,  sharing details on the people, processes, and technologies  fueling its rapid growth.Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/