The glimmer of opportunity behind the storm: Ali Pashazadeh talks biotech investment

Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is a unique disorder in the rare disease sector because there are multiple approved therapies for patients and, in the US alone, the prevalence of CML is expected to triple by 2040. In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh speaks with Amy Burroughs, CEO of Terns Pharmaceuticals, about available treatments for CML, the potential of allosteric TKIs, and the wider oncological landscape today. You can also listen to episode 205a 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.

In this episode of our Frontiers Health limited series of the pharmaphorum podcast, Deep Dive editor Eloise McLennan speaks with Steve Seuntjens, Partner at PHS Capital.   Seuntjens has long been focused on investing in innovation that puts the individual at the centre of health. For him, building companies is never easy – but it becomes meaningful when the outcome is more engaged people, improved health results, and ultimately reduced costs. That, he believes, is where the true value of healthcare transformation lies.   He also shares some of his favourite moments from Frontiers Health, where ideas, energy, and people come together to push the boundaries of what’s possible in personal health innovation.

When it comes to breaking down barriers, humour is vitally important, helping to do away with stigma when it comes – in particular – to pharma and health advertising. In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh speaks with Brian Coane, health partner at creative agency Leith, who talks sensitivity, maximum impact, and overcoming the fear of getting it wrong. After all, dull ads can lead to the dreaded ‘beige tax’. You can also listen to episode 204a 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.

Biotech finance has encountered what can arguably be termed the worst perfect storm in its history, and private investment in biopharma is in the midst of the longest drought. In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh speaks with former surgeon and investment banker Ali Pashazadeh, CEO of Treehill, a strategic and financial advisory firm for the life sciences sector, in a conversation focused on the current ‘perfect storm’ in biotech and why the skies might not be quite as grey and foreboding as at first feared. Pashazadeh discusses how developers, CDMOs, CROs, and all other companies involved in therapeutic development might have to adjust to this new world. You can also listen to episode 203a 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 this episode of our Frontiers Health limited series of the pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh speaks with Unity Stoakes, president and co-founder of Startup Health and Advisory Board Member at The NeuroTech Collider Lab, University of California, Berkeley. Stoakes has spent 30+ years at the intersection of tech, science, and design, operating with the focal goal of transforming global health. And Frontiers Health provides a buzz, a magic, and a vibe to attain that. For Stoakes, Frontiers Health is all about the people, and the space; spaces selected especially to promote meaningful networking. Thereby leveraging network effects, exploring and progressing the power of innovation, and the power indeed of entrepreneurs to build together and bring change to beneficially affect people’s wellbeing globally – for Stoakes, today is one of the most exciting times in history to change the trajectory of health. Listen to this special Frontiers Health episode of the pharmaphorum podcast to learn more about the big challenges that need to be solved for humanity, and discussion of the future landscape of human health.

In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh speaks with Hilary Eaton, a rare disease advocate and chief business officer at Profluent about AI-first protein design and its part in accelerating biomedicine. Eaton discusses her advocacy, gene editing, and how real-world evidence shows that AI scaling laws – which predict model performance based on size and computing power – apply to biology. You can also listen to episode 202a 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.

Characterising the behaviour of drugs in humans has historically required extensive clinical trials at considerable time and cost. So, any lab-derived early insight into how drugs will behave in human patients can make drug trials vastly more efficient. In this episode, the pharmaphorum podcast welcomes Adityo Prakash, founder and CEO of Verseon, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company based in Fremont, California that is developing several drug discovery programmes in cardiometabolic diseases and cancer using molecular physics and artificial intelligence. Prakash discusses development of new AI technologies to handle the small, sparse datasets typical of real-world scenarios, and how testing drugs on organoids – artificially grown masses of cells that resemble the function of specific human organs – can deliver valuable information on the potential effects of drugs in real patients before any human is dosed. You can also listen to episode 201a 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 November marks a major milestone for health innovation as Frontiers Health celebrates its 10th anniversary.   To mark the occasion, pharmaphorum is proud to launch a special limited-edition podcast series, bringing you conversations with the people who’ve helped define the conference over the years – and those driving the next wave of innovation.   We’re kicking things off with a very special guest: Kristin Milburn, SVP, marketing ecosystem & strategy at Frontiers Health. Having served across several roles – both on and off stage – she offers a rare perspective on what makes the conference so unique, and what attendees can expect from this special anniversary event.   Tune in to this Frontiers Health special of the pharmaphorum podcast for exclusive insights, memorable stories, and expert perspectives from the driving force at the heart of it all, and be sure to subscribe to catch the rest of the series as we count down to the 10th anniversary edition of Frontiers Health this November.

Managed Access Programs (or MAPs) enable mechanisms for patients with unmet medical needs to get access to new medications outside of the clinical trial setting and well before marketing authorisation and reimbursement in a patient's country. Also referred to as Expanded Access Programs and Early Access Programs, these programs are not limited to the US. In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh speaks with Suzanne Aitken, SVP of managed access at Clinigen, discussing the role of managed access programmes in the current pharmaceutical landscape. Aitken explores the challenges around regulations, guidelines, and terminology, which vary considerably from country to country, making it difficult to navigate and understand what is available and what is not. You can also listen to episode 200a 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.

When it comes to GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro there’s a lot to talk about, from the science behind the drugs and where it could go next to the cultural and societal implications of this highly effective treatment for diabetes, weight loss, and potentially much more. On today’s podcast editor-in-chief Jonah Comstock and Deep Dive editor Eloise McLennan forego the usual interview format for an editor-to-editor discussion of a wide variety of topics around GLP-1s. The conversation touches on the stigma surrounding obesity and the ways in which GLP-1s are and aren’t reshaping the age-old narratives around obesity and weight loss. The two also examine the challenges of patient adherence, the rise of the grey market, and the ethical considerations of off-label prescribing, as well as what oral formations and new treatment areas could mean for the evolutions of the space. Tune in for a broad-ranging discussion of one of the most important breakthrough medicines of the decade.