Medical Affairs Unscripted

How can Medical Affairs teams move faster, align global brand strategy, and use artificial intelligence (AI) while keeping patients first? Emad Siddiqui, Senior Vice President, Head of Medical Affairs Global Brand Strategy at Astellas Pharma, joins host Peg Crowley-Nowick on Medical Affairs Unscripted. A surgeon by training, Emad describes his move from clinical practice into Medical Affairs and his belief in putting patients and science first. He explains the Astellas "Brand at the Center" model, where Medical Affairs and Commercial co-lead global brand teams and build the integrated global brand plan together with the five largest markets. Small agile core teams and on-demand value teams speed up execution, and clear guardrails balance global alignment with local autonomy. Emad also shows how AI-assisted scientific writing is changing the work. AI now produces the first draft of a congress abstract, and the authors review and refine it, cutting development from weeks to days. He also looks at how AI could support clinical study reports and help teams turn field insights into clear evidence gaps. This episode is for Medical Affairs leaders, MSLs, and pharma strategists rethinking how global teams work.

What happens when one Medical Affairs leader is responsible for oncology, neurology, immunology, fertility, HIV, and rare disease, all at the same time? The answer is not a bigger playbook. It is an entirely different way of thinking. Host Peg Crowley sits down with Lori Lebson, Senior Vice President of Global Medical Affairs at CalVista Pharmaceuticals, to dig into one of the most underestimated challenges in the field: leading Medical Affairs strategy across a truly diverse portfolio. Lori has lived this challenge from the inside. From large pharma to biotech, she brings a rare perspective on how portfolio diversity changes everything, from scientific narrative and data generation strategy to team design, resource trade-offs, and global launch planning across the U.S., Europe, and beyond. Together, Peg and Lori explore why a lift and shift approach across therapeutic areas fails every time, and what Medical Affairs leaders must do instead. They dig into how oncology, neurology, and rare disease each demand a fundamentally different strategy, why the pace, the patient community, and the evidence generation priorities are worlds apart, and what that means for how Medical Affairs shows up at the enterprise level. They also get into the biotech reality, where diverse pipelines inside small organizations create compounding pressure, and why getting Medical Affairs to the table early is no longer optional. Running through it all is the belief that the patient is the true North Star, and that no drug has truly succeeded until it reaches the patient who needs it. If you lead across franchises, manage a diverse Medical Affairs portfolio, or are building your career and want to understand what it really takes to operate at this level, this episode is essential listening.

The FDA finalized its guidance on Scientific Information on Unapproved Uses (SIUU) in January 2025, giving pharmaceutical and biotech companies a framework for proactive off-label communication with healthcare providers. Yet many medical affairs organizations are still navigating what it means in practice. In this episode, Peg Crowley-Nowick, PhD, MBA talks with Josh Bryson, PhD, Head of U.S. Medical Affairs and Evidence Generation at Argenx, about the real-world implications for medical affairs strategy. Josh and Peg examine what the FDA guidance permits, the data integrity and publication requirements that must be in place, and how the shift from reactive to proactive scientific exchange changes HCP engagement. They also discuss how SIUU raises the bar for evidence generation, driving companies to think more deliberately about data quality, study design, and publication strategy in order to meet the criteria the guidance requires. Medical Science Liaisons and Medical Affairs leaders will find this conversation directly relevant to how they approach both field engagement and evidence planning. A practical conversation for medical affairs professionals looking to understand how the FDA off-label communication guidance reshapes communications strategy and the evidence needed to support it.

In this episode of Medical Affairs Unscripted, Peg Crowley-Nowick speaks with Nick Sarlis, MD, PhD, FACP, Chief Medical Officer at Clara Biotech, about why successful biotech launches begin years before approval. Drawing on experience across six product launches and nine indications, Nick shares a practical CMO perspective on building medical affairs capabilities early, aligning scientific strategy across functions, and preparing organizations for launch success in today's biotech environment. Nick explains why "T-minus 30 months" is becoming the new standard for launch preparation and discusses the foundational role of medical affairs in shaping scientific narrative, publication strategy, KOL engagement, field medical deployment, and long-term evidence generation planning. The conversation also explores: • Early hiring strategy for medical affairs teams • Building experienced MSL and field medical capabilities • Aligning medical, commercial, and corporate communications • Publication planning and scientific congress engagement • Academic center and patient advocacy partnerships • Managing actionable MSL insights • Evidence generation planning beyond approval • Launch readiness in resource-constrained biotech organizations A practical, resource and strategy-focused discussion for biotech executives, CMOs, medical affairs leaders, MSLs, and clinical-stage companies considering commercialization.

What if the decisions that determine your drug's commercial success are already being made and medical affairs isn't in the room? In this episode of Medical Affairs Unscripted, Peg Crowley speaks with Nick Sen, SVP and Practice Lead at Lumanity Medical Affairs Consulting, about the evolving role of medical affairs as a strategic driver in biotech and pharmaceutical development. Drawing on experience across academia, commercial strategy, and market access, Nick explains why early medical engagement is no longer optional even for resource-constrained biotech companies. Instead, it is a critical lever for improving clinical, regulatory, and commercial outcomes. They explore three core pillars of medical affairs impact: De-risking clinical development by shaping the Target Product Profile (TPP) with real-world clinical and stakeholder insight Accelerating regulatory approval through early investigator engagement, site selection, and improved trial enrollment Enabling market access and adoption by building an evidence strategy aligned with payer, provider, and patient needs As scientific innovation accelerates across cell therapies, gene therapies, and complex biologics biotech companies must move beyond a narrow focus on regulatory approval and design development programs for real-world adoption and value demonstration. This episode is essential for biotech executives, medical affairs leaders, and cross-functional teams looking to integrate medical strategy earlier in clinical development and strengthen the probability of successful commercialization.

In this episode, Peg Crowley-Nowick speaks with Joseph Elassal, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer of Ankyra Therapeutics, about the strategic, operational, and financial realities of leading clinical development from pre-IND through proof of concept and toward commercialization.   Drawing on experience across large pharma, biotech partnerships, and early-phase oncology, Joe shares a practical roadmap for new and aspiring CMOs. They discuss how to prioritize essential capabilities, including clinical operations, regulatory strategy, biostatistics, and pharmacovigilance, while determining the right time to introduce Medical Affairs. The conversation outlines how to scale teams at critical inflection points such as IND clearance, Phase 2 proof of concept, and advancement into Phase 3.   The episode also examines investor and board expectations, CRO selection, capital efficiency, cash runway management, and the performance metrics CMOs are ultimately judged on—from disciplined milestone execution to generating meaningful clinical data. This episode offers actionable insight for biotech founders, clinical development leaders, medical affairs professionals, and emerging CMOs navigating the path from early development to launch.

How Medical Affairs leaders can move their organizations from a supporting role to a strategic driver—through accountability, insight translation, and the smart use of AI. In this episode of Medical Affairs Unscripted, Peg Crowley-Nowick speaks with Greg Carpenter, Global Medical Strategy Leader in General Medicine at Sanofi, for a candid conversation on how Medical Affairs must evolve to remain relevant—and indispensable—in a rapidly changing industry. The discussion focuses on how Medical Affairs leaders can increase their strategic impact across pharma and biopharma organizations. Drawing on experience across commercial, quality, and Medical Affairs functions, Carpenter outlines why broader career paths, business acumen, and accountability are essential to creating Medical Affairs value. The conversation examines how Medical Affairs can move beyond data delivery to translate medical insights into strategy, strengthen cross-functional collaboration, and better support physicians and patients. The episode concludes with a practical discussion on AI in Medical Affairs, including how AI is being used today to improve insights, content development, and efficiency—while reinforcing the importance of human judgment and leadership.

Medical Affairs Unscripted welcomes Dr. Jeff Humphrey—an experienced CMO with three decades across Bristol Myers Squibb, Pfizer, Bayer, Kyowa Kirin, and multiple biotechs—to discuss why the Target Product Profile (TPP) is the foundation of effective drug development. He shares a clear framework for "starting with the end in mind," from scientific fit and standards of care to regulatory precedent, investor expectations, and the smart use of AI. Humphrey also underscores the importance of working with patient-first KOLs and reminds listeners that poorly planned development can waste years of people's lives and millions of dollars.

Medical Affairs isn't a downstream function—it's the throughline connecting science, story, and strategy from development through commercialization. This episode features Howard Rutman, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer at Xalud Therapeutics and Peg Crowley-Nowick, PhD, MBA discussing the critical role of early Medical Affairs engagement. Key topics include how early Medical Affairs involvement speeds patient enrollment and data generation, qualities to seek in the first Medical Affairs hire, the value a lean team can bring to BioTech, and the importance of evidence plans that support physician and market access needs.  The podcast emphasizes Medical Affairs as a continuous link from development to commercialization.

In this episode of Medical Affairs Unscripted, host Peg Crowley-Nowick talks with Shera Gruen, SVP of Strategy Consulting at Lumanity, about the power of collaboration between medical and commercial teams in pharma. Drawing on her 20 years of industry experience leading commercial teams, Shera shares lessons on aligning science with strategy, preparing for launch success, and managing uncertainty. From cross-functional teamwork to scenario planning and external partnerships, this conversation offers practical insights for anyone involved in bringing new therapies to market — and shows how collaboration can turn complex challenges into opportunities for impact.