C-Suite Speaks

Podcast: Mithra is shaking up the stagnant women’s health market with a brand new estrogenic compound. E4, or estetrol, is a natural estrogen produced by the human fetus during pregnancy, and could represent a major breakthrough in contraceptive and menopause care.

CEO Scott Braunstein, who took leadership of Marinus in 2019 following clinical trial setbacks, believes the company is on a route to success with its ganaxolone program, targeting chronic use and hospital markets. 

System interoperability and building trust in AI capabilities are central to the strategic collaboration and organic growth plans at GE HealthCare, according to US and Canada regional president and CEO Catherine Estrampes, who spoke to In Vivo as the company released the findings of a major survey of clinicians and patients on future healthcare system needs.

Infex CEO Peter Jackson discusses the state of antimicrobial resistance in the UK, and globally. He highlights the potential of a new “Netflix” style subscription model for antibiotic reimbursement, as well as future challenges for biotechs in the anti-infectives space. 

With a strong late-stage anti-inflammatory molecule in its pipeline, the challenge for Abivax is to garner the funds to take its obefazimod program forward. To that end, the company is continuing to do a major overhaul of personnel and is sharpening its corporate vision.

On the heels of the FDA’s full approval of Biogen and Eisai’s Leqembi, AC Immune’s CEO is hopeful that a precision medicine approach with improved diagnosis, prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease is not far down the road. With 16 clinical programs, notable partnerships and wholly owned assets, AC Immune holds a strong position to help reach that destination.

In the aftermath of announcing a major collaboration with Sandoz on biosimilars, Evotec’s chief business officer Matthias Evers speaks about how the deal provides “validation” of Just-Evotec’s technology platform, while also outlining the firm’s wider ambitions to enable more efficient development of and broader access to biologics.

Biotechs are ready to partner or sell assets to raise cash while turmoil continues in the financial markets, but they are doing so at lower valuations, with IRA and FTC concerns putting further pressure on deal terms.

PTC Therapeutics’ CEO Matthew Klein says the uncertainties of gene therapy development and commercialization have led to huge opportunity costs. After shelving PTC’s preclinical gene therapy programs, he is leveraging the company's diverse platforms and expanding its commercial efforts.

Anthony DeBoer, head of business development at Synaffix, joined the company in 2014 and has helped develop a platform technology business model in the antibody drug conjugate space, where Synaffix has become one of the leading technology providers enabling best-in-class therapeutic candidates.

The ongoing downturn is making early-stage biotech leaders work harder to gain funding – but new technology, business focus and better working practices could help them achieve success. 

Veteran pharma leader Martin Mackay, CEO of Rallybio, recently spoke with In Vivo about building a new company on the cusp of retirement, what drives him, how he leads and what he is excited about in the company’s pipeline.

Rachel Haurwitz, president and CEO of CRISPR-focused biotech Caribou, sat down with In Vivo to reflect on the thrill of the early days of CRISPR technology, Caribou’s second-generation approach, and the benefits of being a CEO with no prior corporate leadership experience.

With Celltrion transitioning to a direct sales model in the US after previously partnering with other firms to market its biosimilars, the company’s new US chief commercial officer, Tom Nusbickel, talks about how the firm is gearing up to launch three key products.

Leaders of biopharma and private equity firms at a recent conference sought a robust domestic market and reimbursement mechanism to propel the innovation ecosystem in India, drawing parallels with the framework that aided China's ascent in the R&D value chain. Alongside, regulatory reform is also pivotal, they stressed.

Many new drug commercialization decisions need to happen early in the clinical development of a therapy, and cell and gene treatments are no different. As Amerisource Bergen’s Lung-I Cheng tells In Vivo, creating a patient-first blueprint is the best place to start.