EXECUTIVE INTERVIEWS

• How One Professor Built Two Billion-Dollar Biotechs

  Professor Ugur Sahin, M.D., Ph.D. never wanted to be an entrepreneur. Yet, today he’s the cofounder and CEO of BioNTech, a publicly traded German biotech aspiring to develop individualized cancer medicines. It was a surprising career path switch.

• A Chat On Biosimilars With Sandoz’s U.S. President Carol Lynch

  Carol Lynch, president of Sandoz U.S. and head of North America, fields biosimilars-related questions from the audience at the 2020 BIO CEO & Investor Conference. 

• BioEclipse Therapeutics — More Than Just A Story Of Rebranding

  In 2006, Pamela Contag, Ph.D. cofounded ConcentRx, but the biopharma rebranded in 2016 to become BioEclipse Therapeutics. The CEO talks about what she learned in those 10 years on that difficult business journey

• Former Biopharma CEO Develops Novel Solution For The “Valley Of Death”

  I recently met a scientist who had experienced the valley of death firsthand. And rather than have her valley experience be her demise, she instead opted to develop a novel solution. This is her story.

   

• 5 Biopharma Execs Reveal Corporate Culture Best Practices

  “Corporate culture will soon be the number one reason why an employee stays or leaves a company.” It’s a comment made to start off a roundtable discussion at the 2020 JPM conference, and we have the details of the discussion here.

• Building GSK Oncology R&D

  Axel Hoos, M.D., Ph.D., SVP oncology and R&D governance chair, provides an update and the context of GSK’s R&D strategy.

• The Story Of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals’ Adversity Odyssey

  Chris Anzalone, Ph.D., CEO of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, discusses taking over a biopharmaceutical company shortly before the Great Recession along with other avenues of adversity faced (e.g., FDA hold on a Phase 2 trial) toward bringing this RNAi company to the brink of success.

• Why You Need People Like Jana Spes At Your Company

  Industry veteran Jana Spes provides some uniquely qualified analysis and guidance on the outsourcing industry and working with CDMOs. Don’t be surprised if you come away thinking for your next outsourcing operations hire, specialization is out, and the Spes model is in.

• Jeff Albers’ Blueprint For Blueprint Medicines

  Jeff Albers, president and CEO of Blueprint Medicines, discusses his approach to ensuring the biopharma is commercial ready should it garner some pivotal FDA approvals.

• A Biopharma That Had To Pivot Twice To Forge Ahead

  Not many thriving companies experience disappointing clinical trial results, jump into an entirely new therapeutic area, and emerge with investor support and renewed hope for an entirely different class of patients. Millendo has done it twice.

• The Perilous Development Of A Potential Biologic Blockbuster

  CytoDyn's leronlimab is under FDA review for Breakthrough Therapy status. Its path from forgotten molecule to near market readiness was riddled with financial and process challenges.

• Allogene Therapeutics — The Juggernaut Built On Kite’s Flight

  David Chang, M.D., Ph.D., CEO and cofounder of Allogene Therapeutics, shares how the successful exit from Kite Pharma (acquired by Gilead for $11.9 billion in 2017) led to the building of Allogene, a $3.4 billion clinical-stage biopharma developing allogeneic CAR-T therapy.

• Why John Sculley Views Healthcare As His “Noble Cause”

  John Sculley, the former CEO of Apple who is now an entrepreneur and investor in high-tech startups, discusses where he sees opportunity in the healthcare industry, along with the leaders he views as being just as visionary as Steve Jobs, if not more so.

• J&J And Merck Detail How They Are Investing For Impact

  Two Big Pharma executives explain how their organizations are investing for impact.