FH25: Jessica DaMassa on hosting, hype, and health innovation

As Gain Therapeutics announces positive Phase 1b results for its lead compound, GT-02287, pharmaphorum looks back to a conversation with the company’s CEO Gene Mack earlier in the year, discussing allosteric small molecule therapies in the Parkinson’s disease space. Mack discusses the company’s progress in this field, and explores where next in terms of the unmet needs of Parkinson’s disease and the potential of this specific area of R&D in the future. You can listen to episode 209a of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it - and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean, and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from.

As one of Frontiers Health’s most recognisable faces (and voices), Jessica DaMassa, founder of WTF Health and long-time emcee of the conference, has had a front-row seat to the events evolution over the last decade. In this episode of the pharmaphorum podcast’s special Frontiers Health anniversary series, DaMassa joins Deep Dive editor, Eloise McLennan, for a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to run the show – both on and off stage. She reflects on her very first visit to Frontiers Health, her evolution from conference-floor reporter to main-stage moderator, and why flexibility, curiosity, and a healthy sense of humour are essential tools for interviewing some of the biggest names in healthcare. A self-described “health tech gossip,” DaMassa shares what she’s most looking forward to at this year’s event, how she prepares for interviews with top leaders across pharma and digital health, and why hype doesn’t always equal impact when it comes to innovation.

Healthcare organisations are facing the simultaneous pressures of demonstrating ROI on AI investments, addressing clinician burnout, and satisfying compliance requirements. In a new pharmaphorum podcast, Dr Jay Anders, chief medical officer for Medicomp Systems, and also host of the Tell Me Where IT Hurts podcast, discusses why he believes that the only way organisations can solve all three of those problems is by first solving data quality issues. Anders talks about this data quality crisis, and the financial and operational impacts of the current situation, and explains why providers must ensure clinical data is validated, cleaned, and optimised. You can listen to episode 208a of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it - and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean, and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from.

The cell culture media industry is currently experiencing significant growth, driven by the increasing demand for biopharmaceuticals, advancements in tissue engineering, and the rising number of research activities in cell biology. In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh speaks with Brandon Pence, who was recently appointed President and COO of Fujifilm Biosciences, a company previously known as Fujifilm Irvine Scientific, about the cell culture media field. Pence also discusses end-to-end life sciences capabilities to create an accelerated path toward greater patient access for advanced care, as well as the shift of late to the US for many large pharma, during Trump’s second administration. You can listen to episode 207a of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it - and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean, and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Frontiers Health. In another episode of our limited Frontiers Health series of the pharmaphorum podcast, we speak with commercial strategy expert Pilar Fernández Hermida, founder of i-Expand, a commercial strategy firm focused on assisting Health Tech and Deeptech companies grow and monetise. Fernández Hermida shares her favourite memory from the conference’s past decade, and discusses commercialisation of new technologies, such as advanced therapies and foundational tech like AI, and how CGTs can become more accessible, as well as much more. Explore this Frontiers Health conversation and others - and find out how to attend the conference - here.

In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh spoke with Anthony Cilento, vice president, data science & customer insights, at Bayer, in a post-Axtria Ignite 2025 discussion on the conference and agentic AI more generally. Cilento speaks to the advancement from GenAI to agentic AI, what’s changed for his own team in this regard and what’s required by way of a culture shift more generally, as well as speaking to the changes necessary in the advanced therapies space when it comes to commercialisation. You can listen to episode 206a of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it - and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean, and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Frontiers Health. In another episode of our limited Frontiers Health series of the pharmaphorum podcast, we speak with founder, director, and global health advisor at D-Health Consulting, Roberta Sarno. Sarno is also director of the APAC Liver Disease Alliance, and consultant on digital health APAC policy at the American Telemedicine Association, as well as advisor to the Asia Pacific Medical Technology Association. Sarno discusses her favourite memory from Frontiers Health, as well as the importance of equity and accessibility for patients, and how that needs to be from day one. The conversation also touches upon the rural community experience, and explores global health innovation more widely, Sarno explaining why multistakeholder involvement is key. Explore this Frontiers Health conversation and others - and find out how to attend the conference - here.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Frontiers Health. In another episode of our limited Frontiers Health series of the pharmaphorum podcast, we speak with healthcare innovation consultant Gary Monk. Monk shares his favourite memory from the conference’s past decade, and discusses its ethos, as well as how his work at the moment aligns with that. Explore this Frontiers Health conversation and others - and find out how to attend the conference - here.

Frontiers Health marks its 10th anniversary this year, celebrating a decade of innovation, collaboration, and the connections that drive progress.   In this episode of our Frontiers Health limited series of the pharmaphorum podcast, Deep Dive editor Eloise McLennan speaks with Aline Noizet, founder of Digital Health Connector  – a phrase that she says encapsulates both her personal mission and her 15 years of experience in the industry.   Noizet has built her career on connecting emerging start-ups with the partners who can help them grow, with the goal of ensuring that digital health solutions reach the patients who need them most. For her, Frontiers Health is about more than just ideas – it is about the relationships that make innovation possible.   Here, she reflects on the importance of creating these connections, the unique atmosphere of Frontiers Health, and some of her favourite moments from the past decade.

In Donald Trump's first presidential term, he spoke a lot about "Most Favoured Nations" pricing for pharmaceuticals - that is, bringing the prices that Americans pay for drugs in line with prices paid around the world. In his first term, all that talk didn't amount to much. But this time around the pharma industry is taking the President much more seriously.   In today's pharmaphorum podcast, host Jonah Comstock speaks with Alice Valder Curran, a partner at Hogan Lovells and our go-to expert on US policy in pharma, for an update on what's happening right now with Most Favoured Nations drug pricing.  Curran brings us up to speed on what's happened with the President's Executive Order and the industry response so far, then she and Comstock break down what was in the recent letters sent by the administration to major pharma companies and subsequently posted on Truth Social by the President.  They talk about the short-term and long-term impacts of the policy, to what extent it's likely to come to fruition, and to what extent the industry has already begun to change its behaviour in response. Check out the full episode below to learn more about what could be the most impactful US policy change for pharma's bottom line in decades.