EXECUTIVE INTERVIEWS

• How A First-Time CEO Transformed Retrophin Into Travere Therapeutics

  Eric Dube, Ph.D., was dubious when an executive recruiter pitched him the CEO position at previously embattled Retrophin (remember Martin Shkreli?). But he took the job in January 2019 and now has guided the $1.5 billion biopharma as it has increased sales, implemented a new diverse and inclusive culture, advanced its pipeline, and adopted a new name (Travere).

• First-Time CEOs: Firsthand Tales Of The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

  Since the CEO position comes with such high expectations and stress, we thought it would be interesting to speak with three first-time CEOs to hear their tales of the good, the bad, and the ugly. In this executive virtual roundtable (EVR), perspectives are provided by Roger Crystal, CEO, Opiant Pharmaceuticals; Frank Lee, CEO, Forma Therapeutics; and Ivana Magovcevic-Liebisch, Ph.D., J.D., CEO, Vigil Neuroscience.

• Building A COVID-19 Vaccine Company In A Few Months

  Mei Mei Hu, J.D., and her husband Lou Reese know what it’s like to develop a drug during a pandemic. Nearly 20 years ago they helped develop a vaccine and antibody test for the SARS outbreak. But now they were considering starting a COVID-19 vaccine company — during 2020.

• Digital Technologies Will Continue To Drive Patient Outcomes

  While other companies scrambled to implement clinical trial-related technology to deal with the pandemic, Otsuka was an early adopter of tools such as eCRF and eConsent.  Christoph Koenen, EVP and chief medical officer at Otsuka Pharmaceutical Companies (U.S.) explains how digital technologies will continue to drive patient outcomes.

• An All-Canada COVID-19 Vaccine Solution

  The story of how Providence Therapeutics, a Calgary, Ontario-based, emerging mRNA biopharma, came to achieve such notoriety is an interesting one that includes a pivot from its core therapeutic focus, the hiring of an American as company president, and the creation of a CDMO.

• The Placental Stem Cell Advantage

  As Celularity makes its most significant clinical progress to date, the company is putting theories born of 20 years of postpartum placental stem cell research into practice. Could the production platform it’s building be the key to accessible, affordable allogeneic cell therapy?

• SPACs, Opioids, and COVID: Ensysce Biosciences Making “Virtual” History

  If Ensysce Biosciences were a ball of yarn, we’d be unwinding it for hundreds of miles from its location in La Jolla, California. We’d unravel solid oral dose programs – new opioids and a COVID treatment, an all-outsourced model, and now one of the first biotechs to go public via a SPAC (special purpose acquisition company).

• A Q&A With A COVID-Era New CEO

  David Horn Solomon, Ph.D., took on the role of CEO of Pharnext in April 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic and just after the company had seen it’s Phase 3 trial data rejected by the FDA.

• How An Industry Outsider Became A Biopharma CEO

  John Fowler had never worked in biopharma before. That didn’t stop his best friend — a scientist — from asking Fowler to lead the biotech startup he had been working on. It was a risk to both the company’s future — and their friendship.

• CEO Q&A: Dr. Aoife Brennan

  Dr. Aoife Brennan, president and CEO of Synlogic, discusses how the pandemic has affected her company’s operations and clinical trials.

• From Aha Moment To $10 Billion Biopharma

  In 2012 Neil Kumar, Ph.D. read an article in Nature Biotechnology and was so inspired by the paper’s theories on drug discovery and development, that he eventually decided to quit his job and start his own biopharma called BridgeBio.

• A Q&A With Bernie Zeiher Of Astellas

  Bernie Zeiher Of Astellas took on the dual role of CMO & President of Development in April 2018. Here he discusses how he adjusted to that job and some of the best practices he’s learned along the way.

• The Making Of A CFO — A Conversation With J&J’s Joseph Wolk

  Joe Wolk’s father spent 40 years working at the nearby J&J manufacturing facility. Now, Joe has reached the top of the organization as CFO. His path getting there, though, didn’t start in pharma.

• 180 Life Sciences: Deliberately Seeking Serendipity

  At 180 Life Sciences, veterans of the old-pharma world are building a small bio enterprise focused evenly on scientific and market opportunities in the inflammation space.