Pharmaceutical Executive

It is no easy feat to break into a male-dominated field as a woman, no less the bio/pharmaceutical industry. Piper Trelstad, PhD, head of chemistry, manufacturing, and control (CMC), Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute, shares with Meg Rivers, editor-in-chief of Pharmaceutical Executive, her experiences working in the industry, specifically in the vaccines space, as well as what it was like for her moving up the ranks as a woman. Other topics discussed include Trelstad’s predictions for more women working at the C-suite level, the inner workings of the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute (including work on an infant probiotic), insight into her personal journey, and more.

Amanda Powers-Han, chief marketing officer at Greater Than One, has a couple of decades in the industry and is always on top of the latest trends in marketing and media for the pharma industry. She talks with senior editor Fran Pollaro about the ascension of social media as an incremental investment to one that is foundational. The pair delve into the honed focus on HCPs, especially in the rare disease space, building out sophisticated targeting strategies via multiple data partners, and the different uses across the social landscape, especially with video—from HCP social sites like Dermo and Medscape to the topical Twitter and its recognized peers like TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Cell and gene therapies are at the tip of everyone’s tongues in biopharma. Significant headway has been made in this space, though there is more research that needs to be done and many more therapeutic areas to eventually apply this method of treatment to. Chris Fox, president of Novartis Gene Therapies, shares insights into her work with gene therapies and discusses commercialization challenges. Through its gene therapies business, Novartis builds on the capabilities created through its experience with Zolgensma, a gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy. Fox also dives into how she entered the pharma space, her role at Novartis, balancing work and home life, and what the Novartis team is most proud of from 2022 as well as what they are most excited about in 2023.

As a society and industry, we’re emerging out of a period of hyper-accelerated digital and virtual growth, a positive born out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many in the industry are wondering how the sales force is going to look and how they’re going to approach and communicate effectively with HCPs and patients. Pratap Khedkar, CEO of ZS, discusses this time of change with senior editor, Fran Pollaro, as well as the implications associated with the Inflation Reduction Act, the focus and importance of patient-centricity, what we might see in 2023 in the sales and marketing vertical, and more.

On this week’s episode, Meg Rivers, editor-in-chief, and Miranda Schmalfuhs, group social media editor, speak with Steve Paul, chairman of the board, president, and CEO of Karuna Therapeutics, as well as Andrew Miller, founder and chief operating officer of Karuna Therapeutics. Miller was also one of Pharm Exec’s 2020 Emerging Pharma Leaders. The editors speak with Paul and Miller about the following: 1) their journey into pharma; 2) the factors that impact their decision to pursue any individual drug product; 3) the mental health/disorder treatment landscape; 4) what treatment has been like, historically, for schizophrenia and psychosis in Alzheimer's disease; 5) the company’s drug, KarXT, which is being evaluated in schizophrenia and psychosis in Alzheimer's disease; and 6) potential marketing and commercialization challenges for KarXT.

Marcella Milliet Sciorra, Chief Marketing Officer at DeepIntent, discusses Connected TV, or CTV, how it differs from over the top, and how CTV fits into the future of pharmaceutical marketing.

In episode 121 of the Pharm Exec Podcast, Nathalie Dompé, co-CEO of Dompé Pharmaceuticals, shares a glimpse into her journey in the pharma industry, her leadership style, the differences in working in leadership in the United States vs. Europe (Italy, specifically), and technologies in the biopharma industry. Meg Rivers, editor-in-chief, and Miranda Schmalfuhs, group social media editor, also talk to Dompé about: 1) launching a rare disease drug in the United States, the commercial/sales/marketing challenges, and what the company learned in the process; 2) how launching a rare disease drug differs from other drugs as it relates to the commercialization phase; 3) how can the industry can best meet the needs of patients and health systems; 4) balancing family/home life and work.

In episode 120, Nico Saraceno, editor of Pharmaceutical Commerce and host of the Pharmaceutical Commerce Podcast, and Andy Studna, associate editor and cohost of the Applied Clinical Trials Podcast, discuss what their respective podcasts offer to listeners, best guests, and more. Listen to the Applied Clinical Trials Podcast: https://www.appliedclinicaltrialsonline.com/editorial-podcasts Listen to the Pharmaceutical Commerce Podcast: https://www.pharmaceuticalcommerce.com/editorial-podcasts

Sarah McKinnon, Senior Art Director at The Grey Group, discusses her entrance into the advertising world through blending art and science in school, understanding the connection between human health and storytelling, her own experiences as a patient along with a healthy dose of grit and passion to inform her audiences and her career.

In episode 119, Doina Ionescu, Managing Director, UK & ROI, at Merck, discusses her career journey, gender discrimination in the workplace, her role in the ABPI, and lessons she's taken from Queen Elizabeth II.