Teva's Drug Development Pivot: Dr. Eric A. Hughes EVP, Global R&D and Chief Medical Officer

“The greatest opportunity at Teva is our innovative pipeline. We’re really leaning in on our innovative pipeline as an integral part of our pivot to growth strategy.”This is the ambitious vision of Dr Eric Hughes, Executive Vice President of Global R&D and Chief Medical Officer at Teva Pharmaceuticals.He speaks about the company’s strategic transformation from generics powerhouse to innovative biopharmaceutical leader - including how strategic partnerships and a matrix organisational approach are driving Teva’s remarkable 10 consecutive quarters of growth. He shares best practices on leveraging generics expertise for innovation, building successful partnerships across multiple therapeutic areas, and creating synergies between different business portfolios.Full article here

“We need to strive to be an easy client. Being an easy client with clear goals and internal alignment is key for successful long-term relationships with CMOs. Equally important is how we manage internally – how we align internally and bring that one message to the CMOs.”Felipe Furiati, Senior Director External Supply Operations at Grünenthal, manages external supply operations across a €2 billion portfolio whilst leading crisis management and M&A integration activities.Felipe brings a distinctive background to external manufacturing, having started as a pharmacist in QA at Johnson & Johnson, spent time in management consulting at Bain & Company, and returned to pharmaceutical operations with experience spanning both technical and strategic functions.In the latest PharmaSource podcast episode, Felipe shares practical insights on building strategic partnerships without volume leverage, implementing product-centric supply chain management, and using digital tools for supplier selection – approaches that are particularly relevant for mid-sized pharmaceutical companies navigating complex supplier networks and geopolitical uncertainty.

"We are seeing a doubling or tripling of applications from the United States. You can really feel that shift already. People have been offered jobs and professorships and are already here in Heidelberg."Dr. Julia Schaft, Managing Director at BioRN Cluster Management GmbH, reveals the significant increase in American scientists exploring opportunities in Germany's Rhine-Neckar biotech hub as researchers seek new environments that support their work.Julia brings over a decade of international experience, including 11 years in Australia working with human embryonic stem cells, before returning to Germany to drive innovation at the intersection of industry and academia. She also serves as spokesperson for bioDeutschland's Working Group of BioRegions.In the latest PharmaSource podcast episode, Julia explains how changing dynamics are creating new opportunities for European life science clusters and what this means for the global biotech landscape.https://pharmasource.global/content/podcast/the-heidelberg-advantage-biorn/

HHS Secretary’s unprecedented move to terminate 22 federal mRNA contracts sends shockwaves through biotech sector and raises critical questions about U.S. pandemic preparednessThe pharmaceutical industry woke up to a fundamentally altered landscape this week as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the termination of $500 million in federal funding for mRNA vaccine development. The decision, which affects 22 active projects across major pharmaceutical companies including Pfizer, Moderna, and Sanofi, represents the most significant policy reversal in vaccine development funding in recent memory.In this episode, we speak to Ben Locwin Vice President at Reliant Life Sciences, about what why mRNA therapeutics are so an important - not just to vaccines but also to cancer, genetic disorders and other therapeutic areas.Read the article

"When you are seeing great results in your research lab, you think that everything has been done. But then when you try to humanise your drug, a new adventure starts, because the CMC process is very difficult. In my opinion, it's as difficult as demonstrating efficacy." - Mari Carmen ÁlvarezMari Carmen Álvarez PhD. is the Managing Director of Tetraneuron, a pioneering Spanish biotech developing novel gene therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. With nearly two decades in biotech leadership, she founded Valencia University's first biotech spin-off and brings expertise spanning innovation management, business development, and fundraising from seed to Series A.In the latest PharmaSource podcast episode, Mari Carmen explains why scaling gene therapy development requires more than strong science, how to navigate the complex CDMO ecosystem, and what she learned from a previous biotech failure that shaped her approach to leadership and patient impact.Full interview: https://pharmasource.global/content/podcast/from-lab-to-patient-how-tetraneurons-gene-therapy-approach-is-tackling-alzheimers-disease/

“From Tokyo to Boston, we knew people had to see and feel the future we were building together. That is how you create lasting change.”Amber Meriwether, Director of Corporate Strategy at Astellas Pharma, has orchestrated one of the industry’s most dramatic supplier rationalisations whilst navigating complex cultural dynamics across seven global locations.In the latest PharmaSource podcast episode, Amber reveals how effective supplier rationalisation transcends traditional cost-cutting approaches, requiring sophisticated change management, cultural intelligence, and the ability to forge consensus amongst diverse scientific teams spanning multiple continents and research modalities.https://pharmasource.global/content/podcast/how-astellas-procurement-cut-their-supplier-base-by-95-while-building-global-consensus/

"Current revenue scale is $1.3 billion. We anticipate it will grow to $5 billion, just in five years' time. We've committed to invest about two-thirds of Fujifilm's entire annual capex in this business."Toshihisa “Toshi” Iida, Chairman of FUJIFILM Biotechnologies Group and Board Director at FUJIFILM Corporation, reveals how 89 years of healthcare heritage drives the company's ambitious CDMO expansion strategy.Toshihisa brings 34 years of experience at Fujifilm, having witnessed the company's transformation from the golden age of photographic film through the digital revolution to its current position as a major biotechnology manufacturer. His journey spans international marketing, European operations, and now leading the Life Sciences strategy for the 91-year-old corporation.In this exclusive podcast interview, Toshihisa explains how Fujifilm's unique modular manufacturing approach and zero-defect philosophy position the company to achieve unprecedented growth whilst delivering scalability, speed and resilience to pharmaceutical partners worldwide.Full article: https://pharmasource.global/content/podcast/from-film-to-pharma-inside-fujifilm-biotechnologies-5-billion-growth-strategy/

A panel of M&A advisors and consultants at CDMO Live 2025 explored how private equity investment has transformed the contract manufacturing sector, whilst examining current challenges from geopolitical uncertainty to market volatility. The session, sponsored by TH Healthcare & Life Sciences, featured Kurt Nielsen (Managing Partner, Longview Leader LLC), Dirk Beyer (Managing Director, Raymond James), Asif Shahinsha (Executive Director, TH Healthcare & Life Sciences), and Vishnu Dwadasi (Director Life Sciences, West Monroe).Download the full CDMO Live report

The biologics external manufacturing panel at CDMO Live 2025, sponsored by BSP Pharmaceuticals, brought together industry leaders to tackle the key challenges in scaling biological manufacturing amid geopolitical tensions, capacity constraints and evolving partnership models.The panel featured Olaf Birkenmeier, Head of External Manufacturing at Polpharma Biologics; Julien Laizé, Director of External Manufacturing CTM at Valneva; Catherine Seigneur, Senior Director of External Manufacturing Business Lead at UCB; and Giorgio Salciarini, Head of Sales - Technical Business Development at BSP Pharmaceuticals.Download the full CDMO Live Report

Joshi Venugopal, SVP and Head of Region for Novartis Gene Therapies, outlined three critical inflection points that will determine whether cell and gene therapy reaches its full potential at CDMO Live 2025The cell and gene therapy industry finds itself squarely in the middle of a classic Gartner hype cycle, according to Novartis gene therapy chief Joshi Venugopal. Speaking at CDMO Live 2025, Venugopal drew on Novartis's experience with the first two FDA-approved gene therapies to map where the industry stands today — and what it will take to reach the "plateau of productivity.""We had the opportunity to be the pioneers in introducing these innovative medicines in several countries, and sense the opportunities and challenges first hand," Venugopal told delegates in Rotterdam.Download the full CDMO Live report