All Episodes — Biotech Hangout

Be sure to tune in live on X (formerly Twitter) Spaces every Friday at 12:00 pm ET

Episode 83

Guest host Nick Shipley, Bio’s policy expert joins Daphne Zohar, Brad Loncar, Mike Yee and Yaron Werber on this week’s Biotech Hangout. The group discusses policy affecting biotech, including march-in rights, PBMs, IRA and FTC involvement plus bipartisan initiatives like the Orphan Cures Act. They also discuss the state of the XBI and industry sentiment, Bluebird Bio’s setbacks following FDA approval and Pfizer’s stock after its 2024 forecast revenue. They cover data from Vertex, Icosavax, Arcellx and Legend, plus several ADC deals including Bristol Meyers Squibb, SystImmune, C4 Therapeutics, Merck, Nona Biosciences and Pfizer. Other topics include updates from ASH, the new Amgen CSO plus the group shares their thoughts on what to expect in 2024. *This episode aired on December 15, 2023

Episode 82

On this week’s episode of Biotech Hangout, Josh Schimmer, Tim Opler, Chris Garabedian, Dawn Bell and guest host Eric Schmidt, Biotech Analyst, discuss the latest industry news. They cover the JPM year in review, XBI performance, plus Abbvie’s acquisition of Cerevel and the implications for Karuna. They also discuss a big GLP-1 deal from Roche and Carmot, the AstraZeneca/ IRA case and EV negative biotechs. They also talk about three big investors days from J&J, Sanofi and Neurocrine Biosciences, plus CVS’s update on how they will cover drugs, Eyepoint Pharmaceutical’s wet AMD data and much more. *This episode aired on December 8, 2023

Episode 81

On this week’s episode of Biotech Hangout hosts Daphne Zohar, Tim Opler, Josh Schimmer, Chris Garabedian, John Maraganore and Ethan Perlstein discuss the latest industry news including takeaways and sentiment from the recent Jefferies, Stifel, American Heart Association and ACR conferences. They also discuss Ajinomoto acquiring Forge Biologics ($620M), Crispr and Vertex MHRA approval in the UK, Verve data and Novo Nordisk’s SELECT trial details. They hosts discuss Astellas’ acquisition of Propella ($175M) and the differences between Propella and PureTech’s lymphatic-focused technologies, on the back of PureTech’s Phase 2 data. Other topics include three merger agreements: Graphite Bio/ Lenz Therapeutics, Q32 Bio/Homology Medicines and Selecta Biosciences/ Cartesian Therapeutics, adcomm for Merck’s inhibitor for chronic cough and more. *This episode aired on November 17, 2023

Episode 80

Hosts Brad Loncar, Tim Opler, Josh Schimmer, Dawn Bell and Yaron Werber discuss the latest industry news on this week’s episode of Biotech Hangout. They cover several upcoming conferences including the American Heart Association, which the hosts say will highlight market moving data and a “biologics revolution”, plus ACR, which will highlight CAR-T data, and the Liver Meeting. The hosts also discuss Eli Lilly’s drug approval for weight management, Cargo Therapeutics’ IPO terms and Adverum’s 3-year AMD data. There is also news in the I&I space from Moonlake Therapeutics, who was off by more than 20% after announcing psoriatic arthritis data and Ventyx Biosciences halting its Phase 2 TYK2 trial. Other topics include BioNTech’s R&D day, Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine data and activist investor Elliot Investment Management buys over $1B stake in BioMarin. *This episode aired on November 10, 2023

Episode 79

On this week’s episode of Biotech Hangout, hosts Daphne Zohar, Tim Opler, Josh Schimmer, Brian Skorney and guest Matthew Gline, Roivant CEO discuss the current market for public biotechs plus Pharma performance including Sanofi, Pfizer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Roche, Biogen and Abbvie. The hosts also discuss Sarepta’s trial miss, and Matt shares additional commentary to Roivant’s deal with Roche. They also share thoughts on Lexeo Therapeutics’ IPO ($100M), 4D Molecular Therapeutics’ CF Phase 1 data and AstraZeneca’s investment in Cellectic ($245M). There were several large funds from the week including Abingworth’s fundraise ($365M), Blue Owl- Cowen Investments acquisition (~$1B) and Bioluminescence Ventures’ fundraise ($477M). Other topics include Bluebird Bio presells its PRV to Novartis, Amgen stops selling PSMA BiTE, Crispr Therapeutics/Vertex adcomm and Pfizer closes several sites. *This episode aired on November 3, 2023

Episode 78

Guest host Paul Matteis, Biotech Analyst at Stifel, joins Daphne Zohar, Brad Loncar, Josh Schimmer, Dawn Bell and Bruce Booth on this week’s episode of Biotech Hangout to discuss market sentiment, biotech’s bear market, CTAD and World Sleep meetings and Roche to acquire Telavant ($7.1B). The hosts also cover industry issues such as the Orphan Cures Act, More Transparency Act, PRVs and more after Daphne attended meetings with senators and congressmen in DC. Additionally, they talk about the second largest A round of funding in 2023 from Aiolos Bio ($245M) plus OrbiMed’s $4.3B raise, CARGO Therapeutics’ IPO and >40 biotechs exploring strategic alternatives. Other topics include CMS expanding Medicare coverage to Alzheimer’s PET scan testing, Senator Bernie Sanders to investigate NIH licensing practices, delays in cancer care and Novartis regulatory filing pushed after data disappoints at ESMO. *This episode aired on October 27, 2023

Episode 77

Guests Jacob Plieth, Madeleine Armstrong and Nuvalent CEO, Jim Porter join Daphne Zohar and Josh Schimmer on this week’s Biotech Hangout to discuss the big deal of the week: Merck and Daichii’s co-development & co-commercialization deal for three ADCs (worth up to $16.5B), plus Nuvalent’s $300M raise and recent data. They also discuss the recent ESMO data breach, PTC Therapeutics’ agreement with Royalty Pharma and Monte Rosa’s partnership with Roche. Other topics include Revolution Medicines’ KRAS data, the FDA’s decision to clear Nkarta’s IND application, Pfizer’s revenue guidance related to Covid products and overall CEO and industry sentiment. *This episode aired on October 20, 2023

Episode 76

On Biotech Hangout this week, hosts Daphne Zohar, Brad Loncar, Josh Schimmer, Mike Yee & Tim Opler discuss biotech sentiment & cover the big news of the week. M&A as a topic including Bristol Myers Squibb to acquire Mirati Therapeutics for $4.8B, plus the 14 biotech acquisitions in 2023 over $1B and Illumina ordered to sell Grail after completing a $7.1B acquisition deal. A lot of data came out this week from companies including Akero, Alnylam, Ventyx, Merck, Novo Nordisk, Immunic and PMV Pharmaceuticals. Mike and Brad also share takeaways from Jefferies CNS Day and HLTH 2023. *This episode aired on October 13, 2023*

Episode 75

On this week’s Biotech Hangout, hosts Brad Loncar, Daphne Zohar, Bruce Booth, Josh Schimmer and Yaron Werber cover the state of the XBI after it hit a 52-week low. They also discuss several deals and financings from the week including Eli Lilly acquiring Point Biopharma ($1.4B) and radiopharma more generally and Sanofi paying Teva to collaborate on inflammatory bowel disease treatment (up to $1.5B). Also Biohaven’s offering (~$225M), Amicus Therapeutics’ financing with Blackstone ($430M), and Orchard Therapeutics acquired by Kyowa Kirin ($478M). Takeda announces withdrawal of EXKIVITY after its accelerated approval gets pulled, Syndax, ALX Oncology and Roche data and Boehringer Ingelheim launches biosimilar to AbbVie’s Humira at an 81% discount. Other topics include Amgen’s KRAS inhibitor under FDA review, Exscientia and AI, Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ R&D day and Infinity Pharmaceuticals shuts down. *This episode aired on October 6, 2023

Episode 74

On this week’s Biotech Hangout, guest Matt Gline, CEO of Roivant, joins hosts Daphne Zohar, Tim Opler, Mike Yee and Yaron Werber to discuss recent Phase 1 data from Immunovant, part of the Roivant family of companies & Igg degraders broadly (BHVN & ARGX). The hosts also cover biotech sentiment, M&A and the state of the XBI. They discuss BridgeBio PIPE funding, Alfasigma acquires Intercept Pharmaceuticals, setbacks for two CD47s (Abbvie and Gilead) and Morphic Therapeutic’s controversy. Other topics of discussion include Apellis Favus short report, and Bristol Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca drug pricing negotiations. *This episode aired on September 29, 2023*

Episode 73

Josh Schimmer returns on this week’s Biotech Hangout and joins hosts Brad Loncar, Tim Opler, Dawn Bell and Brian Skorney to discuss the industry news of the week. They cover the state of the XBI, IPOs and M&A, plus the ORPHAN Cures Act and low demand for biotech lab space. The hosts also discuss several Phase 3 results from the week (Travere, Iveric, AstraZeneca/ Daiichi Sankyo & Seagen), and partnerships given back to companies (Chiesi gives rights back to Inhibrx & Novartis gives rights back to BeiGene). Other topics include ARS Pharma’s CRL from the FDA, Fresh Tracks returning cash to shareholders and AI in biotech. *This episode aired on September 22, 2023

Episode 72

Guest Yaron Werber joins hosts Daphne Zohar, Chris Garabedian and Brad Loncar for this week’s Biotech Hangout, centered on the theme of ‘management and culture.’ They cover the big IPO news of the week from Neumora (~$2.5B valuation) and RayzeBio (~$1B valuation) plus Acelyrin’s share value drops after sharing top-line results despite being the largest biotech IPO this year. They also discuss Goldman Sachs dropping its price targets and ratings for “early-stage” biotechs and updates from both Moderna and Roche, who held their R&D days this week. Also, Galapagos’ 52-week low and the contrast with Argenx plus the FDA ad comm on Anlylam’s cardiomyopathy candidate. Other topics of discussion include 2seventy bio’s restructuring, CymbaBay data, ImmunityBio’s equity & debt financing & Day One’s updated data & FDA filing decision date. *This episode aired on September 15, 2023

Episode 71

On this week’s Biotech Hangout, guest Frank David, Tufts Professor & Author, joins Daphne Zohar, Chris Garabedian, Dawn Bell and Brian Skorney to discuss the latest biotech news. Following recent news from several “Hub & Spoke” companies, including raises from Apollo, Nimbus & Star Therapeutics, the hosts discuss this innovative business model. They also cover M&A news, including the FTC’s approval of Amgen’s acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics and Nestle’s decision to sell the peanut allergy drug it acquired for $2.6B for an undisclosed upfront payment. Other big topics include the 10 drugs announced for Medicare negotiations. Additional themes include the IPO landscape from the ECM, private and crossover perspectives, CymaBay data, Applied Therapeutics FDA meeting & implications for orphan diseases, and Tonix Pharmaceuticals’ data. *This episode aired on September 8, 2023

Episode 70

On this week’s episode of Biotech Hangout, hosts Daphne Zohar, Tim Opler, Brad Loncar, Brian Skorney and Michal Preminger discuss the latest industry news including how the state of biotech M&A is tracking and the potential impact of the FTC’s two new proposed rules – plus the latest on Amgen and Horizon’s FTC lawsuit. The hosts also cover private equity financings, including Taysha Gene Therapies’ PIPE and the background behind Biogen’s bid to acquire Reata. Additional coverage includes data and regulatory updates (Seagen, Pfizer, Delcath, Galecto, 2seventy bio) as well as how the FDA weighs mixed data against high patient need, most recently with approval of palovarotene. Other topics include Blue Shield of California partnering with various companies (Amazon, Cost Plus Drug, etc.) to handle drug delivery and bispecific drug pricing. *This episode aired on August 18th, 2023

Episode 69

On Biotech Hangout this week, Brad Loncar, Chris Garabedian, Sam Fazeli, Rob Perez and Ethan Perlstein discuss the influence of GLP-1s including cost, safety, drawbacks and more in light of Novo Nordisk’s positive semaglutide SELECT study results and Eli Lilly’s earnings, which rose due to their type 2 diabetes drug. Other big topics include last week’s Sage and Biogen news following the FDA’s decision to approve zuranolone for PPD but not MDD and its effect on Sage’s stock, plus progress and setbacks in ultra rare diseases including Taysha Gene Therapies. The hosts also dive into Iveric Bio’s drug approval for geographic atrophy, Nektar suing Eli Lilly over botched data, Bluebird Q2 earnings, Mirati data and the 3rd annual Timmerman Traverse. *This episode aired on August 11, 2023

Episode 68

On this week’s episode of Biotech Hangout, hosts Daphne Zohar, Tim Opler, Brad Loncar, Bruce Booth, Otello Stampacchia and Mike Yee cover industry news from the week. They discuss the latest deals including Alexion acquiring Pfizer’s rare disease gene therapy portfolio and Revolution Medicines acquisition of EQRx and a broader discussion of merging with negative EV companies as a strategy for fundraising and the “fundability” of certain founders. The hosts also dive into the hot topic of the week: Biogen and Sage’s PDUFA for zuranolone in MDD and PPD. Additionally, they cover the busy week of Q2 earnings, which included news from Pfizer, Vertex, Moderna, Regeneron, TG Therapeutics and more. Other topics of discussion included the state of biopharma jobs, Vertex non-opioid data, an SVB healthcare report on VC funds, climate change and Steve Jobs’ son starting a VC firm for cancer treatments. *This episode aired on August 4th, 2023

Episode 67

On this week’s episode of Biotech Hangout, guest Matthew Gline (CEO of Roivant) joins hosts Brad Loncar, Tim Opler and Brian Skorney to discuss Biogen’s heavy news week, including their acquisition of Reata for $6.5 billion, their decision to cut 1,000 jobs by 2025 and their quiet stance regarding their upcoming PDUFA date to treat PPD and MDD in partnership with Sage. The hosts also cover other layoff and leadership changes, including the resignation of FibroGen’s CEO and layoffs from Infinity and Mersana. The group also touches on the $2.8 billion hypertension deal between Roche and Alnylam and the impact this deal could have on patients. Additionally, they discuss Gilead being accused of slow-walking the development of a new version of an HIV therapy to extend their patent protection, British billionaire Joe Lewis being charged with insider trading and the impact that poor data readouts had on Stoke Therapeutics’, Gilead’s and Kodiak’s shares. *This episode aired on July 28, 2023*

Episode 66

On this week’s episode of Biotech Hangout, guest Neil Kumar (CEO of BridgeBio) joins hosts Daphne Zohar, Brad Loncar, Tim Opler, Bruce Booth and Brian Skorney to discuss BridgeBio’s long awaited, positive Phase 3 transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) data, including the company’s ups and downs and some leadership lessons along with the benefits of diversification. The hosts also cover the Acumen Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly positive Alzheimer’s data, in addition to questions around safety for eye disease trials related to Apellis’ Syfovre and Horizon Therapeutics’ Tepezza. With a news heavy week, the group also discusses data integrity issues (including the Marc Tessier-Lavigne case), the impact of priority review vouchers and deals/M&A. *This episode aired on July 21, 2023*

Episode 65

On this week’s episode of Biotech Hangout, hosts Brad Loncar, Chris Garabedian, Tim Opler, Dawn Bell and guest host Brian Skorney talk the latest in industry news. They discuss the first FDA approved Alzheimer’s drug to slow cognitive decline plus the subsequent retirement of Esai’s CEO /Alzheimer’s lead. Several other headlines this week including Eli Lilly’s Versanis acquisition, ADC Therapeutics pausing trial enrollment, Illumina’s fine and BeiGene and Novartis terminating their agreement. The hosts also talk about China-related news including the FDA planning to import more doses of chemotherapy from China and four of the top 10 global pharma license deals this year have come from China. They also discuss ophthalmology news from Astellas, 4D Molecular Therapeutics and Tenpoint Therapeutics. Other news covered this week includes the role of AI in drug development following Nvidia’s investment in Recursion, Apogee and Sagimet’s IPOs targeting, Viridian data and Avrobio considering M&A. *This episode aired on July 14, 2023*

Episode 64

On this week’s episode of Biotech Hangout, hosts Daphne Zohar, Tim Opler, Chris Garabedian, Mike Yee and Bruce Booth discuss the week’s industry news including M&A, regulatory, data and more. They highlight the continued M&A streak with Eli Lilly acquiring Dice Therapeutics. They also discuss PhRMA’s lawsuit vs. the U.S. government over IRA Medicare Drug Price Negotiations, following similar suits from Merck & Bristol Myers Squibb. They also talk about several Duchenne news items including Santhera licensing its Duchenne drug to Catalyst and Sarepta’s DMD therapy approval. Additional industry news covered includes the SEC’s case against biotech executives and investors and conflicts of interest with PBMs and FTC’s lawsuit against Amgen. The hosts also discuss what happened to big academic tech transfer deals, Leerink is back, Intercept, Alderya and Arcellx regulatory news, plus Uniqure and Roivant data. *This episode aired on June 23, 2023*

Episode 63

This week, hosts Daphne Zohar, Brad Loncar, Tim Opler & Michal Preminger focus on the theme of people and reputation in the industry. The hosts (and several audience members, including STAT reporter Allison DeAngelis and Kojin Therapeutics CEO Luba Greenwood) discuss the hot topic of the week - media coverage of Biogen board changes. Additionally, in the wake of Ram Sasisekharan speaking out after a four-year investigation exonerated him, the group discusses repercussions for accusers and impact to reputation. In addition to people topics, the hosts cover the week’s financings and M&A including the first biotech to file for IPO in months, plus data from EHA 2023 and data integrity. *This episode aired on June 16, 2023*

Episode 62

This week, Daphne Zohar, Brad Loncar and John Maraganore hosted a special live edition of Biotech Hangout at the BIO conference, and they dive into their learnings on this week’s episode. They are also joined by Josh Schimmer and Otello Stampacchia to discuss the latest news, data, deals and more. The hosts debate the hot topic of the week - Merck’s lawsuit against the U.S. government’s IRA negotiations. They also discuss data that was shared at the recent ASCO 2023 conference, and a tweet accused of moving stock. Other topics include a surprising acquisition and oncology response criteria. *This episode aired on June 9, 2023*

Episode 61

On Biotech Hangout this week, hosts Daphne Zohar, Josh Schimmer, Tim Opler, Chris Garabedian and Brad Loncar talk the latest biotech news. Several of the hosts report live from ASCO 2023 and share highlights and headlines from the conference as well as general industry sentiment around oncology companies. The hosts also discuss the latest deals and financings and debate short-sellers and activist investors and their effect on biotech stocks. Other topics include data from Sanofi, Icosavax, Pfizer and BioHaven over the last two weeks, the FDA’s decision on Sarepta, perspectives on accelerated approvals for rare disease, Amylyx’s ALS drug and Brad’s newest business venture. *This episode aired on June 2, 2023*

Episode 60

On this week’s Biotech Hangout, hosts Daphne Zohar, Mike Yee, Otello Stampacchia, Brad Loncar and Bruce Booth discuss the latest in the biopharma industry including public offerings, deals and financings, data and more. The group dives into the slowdowns in private financings, whether or not the IPO window should be open by now, and the Akero and Coherus follow-on offerings. There is a debate as to whether the news that the FTC is suing to block Amgen from acquiring Horizon Therapeutics has positive or negative effects on SMID cap biotechs. The group also discusses the FTC’s widening probe into PBMs specialty drug pricing. Additionally, data from Viking Therapeutics, X4 Pharmaceuticals, and PTC Therapeutics is discussed. Other topics include Pfizer debt offering, Former Immunomedics CFO pleads guilty to securities fraud, Billy Dunn joining the board of Prothena and Paul Stoffels joining Galapagos. *This episode aired on May 19, 2023*

Episode 59

On this week’s Biotech Hangout, hosts Daphne Zohar, TimOpler, Josh Schimmer, Bruce Booth, John Maraganore and Sam Fazeli talk the latest industry news from the past two weeks. Daphne, Bruce and John reflected on a panel they participated in at the 2023 Convergence Forum earlier that day, sharing their thoughts on the last 20 years in biotech and making predictions for the next 20. The hosts discussed recent M&A news, findings from a new Evercore ISI report on the “short launch thesis”, and the latest earnings news. They also touched on data and the potential impact of two companies’ adcomms. *This episode aired on May 12, 2023*

Episode 58

Special guest Praveen Tipirneni, CEO of Morphic, joins Daphne Zohar, Tim Opler, Josh Schimmer, Rob Perez and John Maraganore on this week’s Biotech Hangout to discuss the latest news. The hosts discuss large pharma companies providing guidance regarding possible upcoming deals as well as pipeline cuts. The hosts also discuss the recent FDA approval of Seres’ FMT product, the impact on the microbiome field, and differentiated next generation approaches being taken by companies like Vedanta who raised a $106M financing this week along with $270M A round from Orbital being bullish signals for private financings. Praveen Tipirneni details Morphic’s positive Phase 1 data for IBD, recounting what it took for his team to get there, and other data announcements from the week including Arrowhead, Alnylam and Avidity. Other topics of discussion include biotechs making creative deals in an unpredictable market, RNAi, and whether platforms or products are more attractive M&A targets. *This episode aired on April 28, 2023

Episode 57

On this week’s episode of Biotech Hangout, CEO of Bellus Health (announced this week that GSK is acquiring for $2B), Roberto Bellini, joins hosts Daphne Zohar, Tim Opler, Dawn Bell, Sam Fazeli and Brad Loncar. The group discusses the week’s deals and financings, data and broader themes of innovation. Roberto shares his personal experience going through an acquisition and what it took for his company to get to that point from a TSK listed microcap valued at ~$15M to a $2B success story, his thoughts on innovation taking many different forms and the pros and cons of single-asset companies. The hosts also deep dive into AACR data, highlighting Lily’s KRAS data & Moderna’s vaccine data and touch on how policy is affecting our industry, with a focus on some new bills seeking to improve how R&D expenses are deducted. *This episode aired on April 21, 2023*

Episode 56

On this week’s episode of Biotech Hangout, hosts Daphne Zohar, Josh Schimmer, Tim Opler, Michal Preminger and Brad Loncar discuss the latest industry news including deals and financings, data, regulatory and more. Brad starts the episode by sharing a personal update on the health of his father, thanking the biotwitter community and lauding the first responders, nurses and specialists who helped save him. Despite some industry setbacks from the week, there was positive news to share including data from a Torreya study, which showed the specialist buyside remained strong at the end of 2022 as well as a list of turnaround stories in the industry. The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) released their 2023 abstract, sharing Moderna’s personalized cancer vaccine study as a clear showstopper. Interesting news on the funding landscape, with 4 VCs announcing fundraises, while there was a huge drop in funding to companies. Following the overturning of the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, Daphne joined over 400 others to sign a letter condemning the ruling & called for it to be overturned. *This episode aired on April 14, 2023*

Episode 55

This week on Biotech Hangout, hosts Daphne Zohar, Josh Schimmer, Tim Opler and Sam Fazeli discuss the latest in the biopharma industry from market updates and deals to regulatory and beyond. There were several optimistic pieces of stock news covered, including Viking Therapeutics’ strong Phase 1 obesity data and Biomea Fusion’s positive Phase 2 diabetes data. The group also discussed the positive reaction to new Phase 1b data from Biogen’s tau drug BIIB080n at International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases (AD/PD™ 2023), which paves the way for the drug to be another major player in the Alzheimer’s drug development space. Additionally, the hosts highlight the latest on the shortage of non-human primates for early-stage trials, Scorpion Capital’s report on Harmony Biosciences, Jounce Therapeutics’ $96.5M cash bid from Kevin Tang’s Concentra Biosciences, and more. *This episode aired on March 31, 2023*

Episode 54

On Biotech Hangout this week, hosts Daphne Zohar, Josh Schimmer, Rob Perez, Sam Fazeli and Mike Yee discuss market sentiment after the fallout from Silicon Valley Bank, possible impact of proposed SEC changes, the impact of IRA, data announcements (Nimbus, Karuna, Altimmune and 89bio), FDA happenings and more. The episode also delves into pharma patent cliffs, Moderna CEO, Stéphane Bancel’s, handling of his senate hearing on the company’s plans to increase price of Covid vaccines, antifungal drug approval and NFL as a biomarker for neurodegenerative disease. *This episode aired on March 24, 2023*

Episode 53

On this week’s episode of Biotech Hangout, For Blood and Money: Billionaires, Biotech, and the Quest for a Blockbuster Drug author, Nathan Vardi, joins hosts Daphne Zohar, Josh Schimmer, Tim Opler and guest Barbara Ryan. They start the discussion recapping the fallout from the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and the domino effect it’s had, including more fear in the banking system, hate and blame directed towards VCs, and the effect on CFOs. The conversation pivots to more positive news with three big M&A deals from the week - Pfizer acquires Seagen, Sanofi acquires Provention Bio and Merck acquires Velos Bio - and the proportion of new drug approvals in the neurology space. Then, the group highlights activist investors in biotech, who made waves this week. *This episode aired on March 17, 2023.

Episode 52

On this week’s episode, hosts Daphne Zohar, Josh Schimmer, Tim Opler and Sam Fazeli discuss the fall of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), private financings, drug pricing and more. The hosts jump right into SVB, summarizing how the fall happened and the potential threats and implications to the industry. They comment on how this would have been an otherwise great week for private biotechs, but now many may be scrambling. The discussion turns to President Biden’s budget proposal impacting drug pricing and how Eli Lilly has responded, unique financing structures and the merger between Adaptimmune and TCR2 Therapeutics. The hosts pivot to some of the good news from the week including BridgeBio’s positive data from its dwarfism drug, AstraZeneca’s Tagrisso demonstrating strong overall survival in Phase III trial for patients with early-stage EGFR-mutated lung cancer and FDA panel votes. They close the discussion hoping for a positive resolution. *This episode aired on Friday, March 10 as events were occurring.

Episode 51

On Biotech Hangout this week, hosts Daphne Zohar, Josh Schimmer and Brad Loncar are joined by Andy Plump, President, Research & Development at Takeda, and Mathai Mammen, former Executive Vice President, Pharmaceuticals, R&D, Johnson & Johnson. The group kicks off with a discussion on productivity in the pharma industry, including cost increases to the innovations that are on the horizon and improved efficiencies in trials, manufacturing and beyond. The group transitions to talk about the latest industry news, regulatory actions and notable recent fundings. They examine the scrutiny around the recent FDA approval of Reata’s treatment for a rare neurological disorder, the approval of Intellia’s IND for in vivo CRISPR gene editing and the FDA’s decision not to hold an advisory committee meeting for Sarepta’s DMD candidate, sharing opinions on whether they perceive any trends indicating the FDA is becoming more or less lenient. They round out the episode by sharing perspectives on AI technology and the impact it will have on the future of the industry.

Episode 50

This week, Paul Hastings, Chief Executive Officer and President of Nkarta Therapeutics and Chair of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), joins Biotech Hangout hosts Daphne Zohar, Josh Schimmer, Rob Perez and Dawn Bell. The group discusses the latest biotech industry consolidations and dissolutions and Big Pharma’s looming patent cliff. They touch on controversies surrounding Vertex’s latest drug pricing, the abortion pill ban and pending implications for the FDA, industry diversity and Vivek Ramaswamy’s resignation from Roivant’s Board of Directors as he prepares to pursue his U.S. presidential campaign.

Episode 49

On Biotech Hangout this week, hosts Daphne Zohar, Tim Opler, Chris Garabedian, Bruce Booth and Michal Preminger are joined by Andy Plump, President, Research & Development at Takeda, and Jay Bradner, Physician-Scientist and former President of the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research. They talk pharma productivity and its impact on M&A, new models for advancing and funding medicine and why we need them and what a pharmaceutical R&D head actually does. Andy and Jay discuss conflicts between research and commercial departments, share their experiences, insights and strategies learned from their careers in R&D executive roles and describe the elements needed for a biotech company to be successful long-term. The hosts end with a lively discussion of business models in the industry from venture creation to listed “truffle hunters” to pharma efforts at being more entrepreneurial.

Episode 48

This week’s Biotech Hangout theme is, “the good, the bad, the ugly” … and the “interesting.” Starting with “the good,” hosts Daphne Zohar, Josh Schimmer, Tim Opler, Dawn Bell and John Maraganore discuss the Mineralys ($MYLS) IPO and recent deals including Pfizer, Novartis and Merck on the hunt for new deals and CVS’s acquisition of Oak Street Health, a value-based primary care company and rival to United Healthcare. The “bad” centers around recent layoffs and shutdowns in the industry and government pressures on drug pricing. For “the ugly,” the team talks about the cost of sustainable innovation in the biotech industry. The hosts also examine if increased M&A and investor support will help correct the market, the latest on the Inflation Reduction Act and its impact on the industry and the importance of generics and intellectual property in biopharma. All agree that the industry provides significant opportunity and the “good” far outweighs the “bad” and the “ugly” in an industry with huge impact on patients and society.

Episode 47

This week, hosts Daphne, Josh, Dawn and Sam cover recent biotech earnings, big pharma revenue drivers, FDA news, data and much more. The group kicks off the conversation by addressing the slow week in M&A news before diving into the profitability of Medicare Advantage for private insurance and the new RADV rule updates announced – they also touch on how this rule will impact the future of pharma. Additionally, the hosts cover big pharma patent expiries & pipeline sourcing needs. Notable earnings updates from big pharma are discussed and the group shares their thoughts on Amgen’s AmjevitaTM, the first biosimilar to Humira, Medicare’s new testing policy for paying less for drugs that receive accelerated approval, and GSK’s oral treatment for anemia of chronic kidney disease in adults on dialysis. Host Ethan Perlstein joins the group to close out the episode with a debate on the geroscience sector of biotech and how Biopharma and Silicon Valley take different approaches to innovation and clinical studies.

Episode 46

On this week’s episode, hosts Daphne and Josh welcome founder and former CEO of Alnylam, John Maraganore, as a guest, and are joined by Ethan Perlstein, Rob Perez, Michal Preminger and Chris Garabedian. The discussion begins with a recap from John’s recent op-ed article published in The Timmerman Report that poses the question: ‘Is it the right time for biotech to be back together in person?’ The group debates the subject of remote vs. hybrid work models and discusses other cultural and strategic topics related to business models in biotech. They also cover Amazon’s new program, RxPass, that provides unlimited generic medicines, which address about 80 conditions, to Prime members for a monthly rate of $5. Additionally, the hosts share insights into recent data and trial updates, including setbacks at Magenta Therapeutics and a positive readout from Pliant Therapeutics. The discussion ends with news from TG Therapeutics, a small biotech that launched a new drug that directly competes with pharmaceutical giant, Roche, leading to another discussion of the pros & cons of small biotechs competing with large pharma.

Episode 45

On this week’s episode, hosts Daphne Zohar, Bruce Booth, Dawn Bell and Tim Opler are joined by Rajiv Kaul, portfolio manager in the equity division at Fidelity Investments, to discuss the latest data, financial and M&A news in the industry. The group begins by discussing an optimistic outlook for the biotech industry as financial trends seem to be shifting, noting that some of the most important breakthroughs in science and tech have followed challenging economic periods. They dive into the topic of opportunity assessment from different points of view in the industry – from pharma to biotech to public and private investment – sharing perspectives on weighing risk, novelty and values of new therapeutics. The hosts also share insight into the recent theme of consolidation with a few unique mergers and acquisitions from this week between Angion and privately held Elicio Therapeutics, Leap Therapeutics’ merger with Flame Biosciences and Sun Pharma’s acquisition of Concert Pharmaceuticals. Other news covered includes Moderna’s promising RSV vaccine data and the FDA’s denial of Lilly’s Alzheimer’s accelerated approval. Ending on a positive note, the group reflects on their excitement about the innovation in the biotech space.

Episode 44

On the two-year anniversary of the launch of Biotech Hangout (formerly Biotech Clubhouse), Daphne and Josh are joined by Chris Garabedian and Brad Loncar, two of the Biotech Clubhouse co-founders, and Bruce Booth, Dawn Bell & Michal Preminger all drop in. The group kicks off the episode with outlook on 2023 and an in-depth recap of the J.P. Morgan 2023 Healthcare Conference. Overall themes include the “Monday Mystique” of industry pressure to announce deals at the start of the conference, Brad’s successful video series full of conversations with notable biopharma CEOs, diversity & inclusion, and an emerging globalization theme. Hosts also cover M&A, Day One Biopharmaceuticals’ topline data and news in the bispecific and endocrine spaces. The group then highlights the FDA’s recent decision to eliminate the requirement of animal testing before human clinical trials, and they chat about the uptick in clinical holds. Later, Eric Tokat, Partner at Centerview Partners, drops in to talk about his three $1B+ deals announced at the conference, perspectives on the M&A landscape, the attractiveness of commercial to late-stage deals and the shift beyond oncology to more diverse fields like metabolic, cardiovascular and autoimmune therapies.

Episode 43

On the first Biotech Hangout episode of 2023, Daphne, Josh, and Tim are joined by Jefferies’ biotech analyst Michael Yee to recap the deals, financings, and clinical readouts that stood out in 2022. The group discusses the upcoming annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare conference and makes future predictions for 2023, including a possible rebound in China and amore obesity, CNS and small molecule deals. They discuss the Inflation Reduction Act and dive into Jefferies’ January XBI heat map. The group recaps Brad Loncar’s 2023 predictions in Business Insider and discuss what investors will want to see more of this year. They also make predictions for large cap data deals in the next year and share opinions on the recent FDA approval of Eisai’s Alzheimer’s drug, Leqembi. Wrapping up, the group gives final thoughts on M&A deals we can expect to see more of, including deals in oncology and ADC technology.

Episode 42

This week, hosts Daphne, Chris, Tim and Dawn are joined by Jeb Keiper, CEO of Nimbus Therapeutics, and by Melanie Senior, Biopharma reporter and analyst, to discuss the latest data, regulatory, and financial news in the biotech industry. Daphne, Chris, Dawn and Tim kick off the episode with insights on recent M&A deals – noting a recent increase in activity that has propelled 2022 into a big year for M&A. The group discusses past acquisitions that led to blockbuster medicines and those that didn't. One of the noteworthy deals of the year is this week's Takeda’s $4B upfront acquisition of Nimbus’s TYK2 inhibitor. Jeb provides color around the deal and how it came together. The group discusses the private funding market and IPOs, including some recent examples of setbacks. Melanie talks regulatory, sharing stats on shifts in BLAs vs NMEs, tailwinds for biosimilars, and diversity with respect to obesity patients inclusion in trials.

Episode 41

Hosts Daphne, Josh, Tim and Otello are joined by special guest and biotech investor, Brad Loncar, to discuss the current M&A landscape, data announcements from the week and recent FDA and regulatory movements. Otello began the episode with his observations of trends in M&A including speedy execution of deals and lack of competition to get them. Daphne goes into detail about this week’s deals, including a new, high-stakes partnership between Summit Therapeutics and Akeso to in-license a bispecific antibody, a deal that could be worth up to $5 billion. Brad reflects on the popularity of cell therapies in 2022, covering Gilead and Kite’s announcement of a collaboration with Arcellx to develop its phase 2 cell therapy for multiple myeloma. Josh transitions the conversation to data, highlighting Nkarta’s positive clinical data from its CAR-NK cell therapy for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and how this approach compares to CAR-T treatments. Finally, the conversation turns to a discussion on the relationship between big pharma and biotech and where smaller companies should focus business development relationships.

Episode 40

In this week’s episode, Daphne, Josh and Tim are joined by Michal Preminger, Head of Johnson & Johnson Innovation, and Jacob Plieth, Evaluate Vantage journalist, to discuss the latest in biotech takeovers, data readouts and FDA news. Tim kicks off the episode with an update on macro events and his recent analysis on aggregate enterprise value of companies with good clinical data versus not so go good clinical data. Michal leads a discussion on the intersection of academia and the venture capital community and Jacob goes in-depth on his coverage of the Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease conference (CTAD). In M&A news, Daphne covers Merck’s acquisition of Imago BioSciences, Horizon Therapeutics’ takeover interest, and AstraZeneca’s move into cell therapy with the acquisition of Neogene Therapeutics. Josh then discusses Mirum’s decision to discontinue their ICP program and the challenges of developing drugs in the pregnancy setting. Lastly, Jacob gives his American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting predictions and the group debates biotech versus pharma productivity.

Episode 39

Jeremy Levin, Bruce Booth, Rob Perez, Dawn Bell and Ethan Perlstein join Daphne and Josh to discuss the macro biotech picture, recap the recent Jefferies Conference, discuss the impact of partisanship in healthcare legislation (including IRA), the coming impact for private and crossover investors, the Acrivon Therapeutics IPO & other recent financings, the Editas clinical setback and some recent FDA approvals, and the a16z story about the biggest company in the world being a consumer health tech company. The group also debates what makes a great biotech CEO and how those CEOs should handle company setbacks.

Episode 38

In this episode, Daphne, Josh, Bruce and Dawn are joined by guest Sam Fazeli (Bloomberg) to discuss this week’s biotech news and trends, including priorities in biotech (patients, investments and incentives), hybrid work models, and the new CEO appointments at Seagen and Biogen. In oncology news, the GSK Blenrep failure in multiple myeloma trial and perspective on progression-free survival versus overall survival in oncology and what really matters. From a financial angle, the hosts discuss single product companies, stock-based compensation, Clovis’ bankruptcy risk, EQRx’s pivot in their pricing model, Merrimack Pharma shares jumping after a successful trial for their pancreatic cancer drug and BioNTech’s increased full-year sales projection. Plus, regulatory news from the week including Verve’s clinical hold and ADC Therapeutics’ accelerated approval rejection.

Episode 37

In this episode, Daphne, Bruce, Tim and guest Jefferies’ Michael Yee discuss the latest happenings in biotech, including recent key earnings, clinical data including ASH abstracts, “BAMG (Bristol Myers Squibb, Amgen, Merck and Gilead) as the new FAANG” and ways that companies are navigating the current challenging financing environment including debt, royalties, reverse mergers & the idea of returning capital after a setback. The episode also delves into the healthy follow-on financing environment.

Episode 36

Lots of news this week! Daphne, Josh and Ethan discuss key binary events of the week, consolidation and the loss of ~40 companies across the industry over the last several months, deals – including the Agios royalty deal, the Sumitomo and Myovant merger and Vaxcyte’s large $690 million offering – as well as Taysha’s criticism around developing ultra-rare diseases and parents getting rights to drugs they helped fund. The hosts also discuss notable earnings from large companies, key FDA actions on Ipsen’s ultra-rare disease and accelerated approval for J&J’s bispecific antibody, and the microbiome coming back into favor.

Episode 35

Kevin Judice, CEO of DICE Therapeutics joins to discuss the company’s positive oral IL-17 update and its approach to developing the small molecule drug. Alex Harding delves deeper into his recent Timmerman Report article on the Inflation Reduction Act.