On this week’s episode, Daphne Zohar, Eric Schmidt, Tess Cameron, Brian Skorney, and Yaron Werber discuss the state of the biotech market, emphasizing the resilience of the sector despite current downtowns. The IPO market also remains stagnant, with many companies trading below IPO prices. The conversation shifts to notable deals, including Jazz Pharmaceuticals acquiring Chimerix for $935 million and AbbVie’s move into the obesity space with its $350 million acquisition of Gubra. The group also discusses Pliant Therapeutics' discontinuation of its Phase 2b trial in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and Biohaven's promising results from its Phase 1 study of BHV-1300, a potential IgG degrader for autoimmune diseases. The conversation then covers BMS’ decision to terminate MRTX1133, a G12D inhibitor from its $4.8bn acquisition of Mirati Therapeutics, and the challenges independent biotech companies face post-launch, including investor skepticism and long-term value pressure. In regulatory news, the group touches on FDA and NIH Senate hearings, vaccine policy debates, and concerns over the revolving door between industry and regulatory agencies, particularly with Pfizer’s hire of former FDA director, Patrizia Cavazzoni. They also discuss the broader implications of scientific credibility and public trust in healthcare institutions. The episode concludes with insights on professional networking best practices, emphasizing clear and specific outreach strategies. *This episode aired on March 7, 2025.
On this episode of Biotech Hangout hosts Brad Loncar, Eric Schmidt, Tess Cameron, Luba Greenwood, and Tim Opler, along with special guest Adam Feuerstein, kick off with a discussion on ‘zombie’ biotech companies – those trading below their cash value – and whether they can be revived or should return capital to investors. The conversation then turns to Stoke’s collaboration agreement with Biogen, Solid Biosciences’ promising gene therapy data for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and industry concerns over biotech fundraising practices. Other key topics include Bluebird Bios take-private acquisition, SpringWorks’ potential buyout by Merck KGaA, and updates in the obesity space, including the FDA removing semaglutide from the shortage list. The group also covers BridgeBio’s strong launch of Attruby, biotech M&A sentiment, and rumors of a potential Viking Therapeutics acquisition. *This episode aired on February 21, 2025.
On this week’s episode, Chris Garabedian, Yaron Werber and Sam Fazeli discuss the challenges facing the biotech sector, including high interest rates and the overabundance of public biotech companies. The hosts take a look at recent IPOs, noting that Metsra and Sionna have performed well, while others like Septerna and Upstream struggled. Reasons for the market’s reaction to IPOs was also discussed, including concerns about valuation, competition and future funding needs. The hosts also discuss the potential acquisition of SpringWorks by Merck. BioCentury’s Steve Usdin also joins the show to discuss the policy and regulatory environment. He outlines the opportunities and risks for the biotech sector, including potential reforms to onshore manufacturing, IRA Medicare drug negotiation, PBM reforms, FDA and NIH staffing cuts, and much more. This episode aired on February 14, 2025.
On this week’s episode, Daphne Zohar, Paul Matteis, Brian Skorney, Tim Opler and Abe Ceesay kick off with a more optimistic yet cautious perspective that investor sentiment may be improving. The group notes positive market trends post-JPM with the XBI index rising from 86.5 to around 92 since early January. The discussion also touches on on the re-emergence of wall cross pipes and the impact on generalist investor interest. The hosts discuss the positive M&A outlook for 2025, noting Intra-Cellular’s recent acquisition by J&J. Staying on the neuro theme, GH Research announced impressive data from its Phase 2b trial for a short-acting psychedelic drug for treatment-resistant depression. This extended into a discussion on the broader implications of neuropsych drug development, including the need for experienced management and the challenges of patient selection and managing high placebo responses. Other topics discussed include FDA’s approval of Axsome’s migraine drug, the anti-VEGF therapy competitive dynamics, Trump’s tariffs, and more. This episode aired on February 7, 2025.
On this week’s episode, Brad Loncar, Chris Garabedian, Eric Schmidt, Paul Matteis and Sam Fazeli kick off with an open mic session on the potential impact of the RFK Jr. hearings and the Trump administration's policies on the biotech industry. The conversation turns to a “unicorn day” with IPOs for Metsara, Maze, Odyssey and Sionna Therapeutics. The group also discusses the approval of Vertex’s journavx and the potential for it to be a blockbuster drug. Akero, Sarepta and Cargo also announced data this week and the hosts summarized the market reactions. Other topics covered include Merck’s buyback announcement and potential impact on M&A activity, Takeda’s CEO, Christophe Weber, steps down, Curie Bio’s new fund, and more. This episode aired on January 31, 2025.
On this week’s episode, Chris Garabedian, Tim Opler, Sam Fazeli, Brian Skorney and Luba Greenwood begin with breaking news on the obesity front with Novo Nordisk’s next-gen program, amycretin. The conversation transitions to post-JPM public market sentiment and a reluctance in capital markets. On the flip side, the hosts suggest a positive outlook for venture capital investments despite the public market challenges. The group also highlights the active M&A and licensing deal market, including the significant role of Chinese biotechs in licensing deals. The hosts also discusses the impact of Trump’s administration’s actions on the biotech sector, including the freeze on NIH activities and the potential withdrawal from the WHO. Other topics include potential of AI in healthcare, Biogen’s strategic shifts, Nature Medicine paper on GLP-1 drugs effects, and more. This episode aired on January 24, 2025.
On this week’s episode, Daphne Zohar, John Maraganore, Mike Yee and Sam Fazeli begin the show recapping JPM ’25, noting investor sentiment was muted and concerns on interest rates have contributed to mixed market sentiment. In terms of deals, three M&A transactions were announced this week including J&J’s plans to buy Intra-Cellular Therapies for $14B, Gilead’s $250M preclinical asset acquisition and GSK’s $1.2B deal with IDRx. Commenting on a challenging IPO market, the group discusses that more private companies are being acquired due to market difficulties and the overvaluation of public companies. The hosts are joined by BIO CEO John Crowley to discuss China’s role in biotech and policy initiatives, FDA reforms and the impact on the biotech industry, and more. This episode aired on January 17, 2025.
On this week’s episode, hosts Chris Garabedian, Brad Loncar,Sam Fazeli and Yaron Werber cover a busy news week ahead of the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference as well as a preview of what to expect next week at the event. Thegroup highlights some of the mega private deals announced, including three that involved the licensing of China assets. The hosts zoom out with a recap of end-of-year reports, the current state of the market and XBI outlook. On the data front, Jasper reports positive Phase 1/2 data for chronic urticaria, Vir shares data for masked T-cell engagers and Stoke moves into Phase 3 with their antisense oligonucleotide for Dravet syndrome. The group also discusses Novo’s deal with Valo Health, Galapagos’ interesting move with new spin out company, whether we’ve reached ‘peak obesity’ and much more. This episode aired on January 10, 2025.
On this week’s episode, Brad Loncar, Daphne Zohar, Josh Schimmer, Yaron Werber and Michael Preminger kick off the show with Vertex’s much anticipated Phase 2 study results, highlighting the modest treatment effect and high placebo response. The group also comments on overly positive spin on data and the importance of credibility in interpreting data. The conversation turns to Novo Nordisk’s weight loss data and the market’s negative reaction with stock down 20%. The group also discusses Roche’s termination of its hemophilia gene therapy program, and Teva's TL1A data showing promise in inflammatory bowel disease. Turning to market sentiment, the group comments on Wall Street’s high expectations for new data and the resulting volatility in the market. The hosts also touch on the impact of Chinese biotech investments, potential PBM reforms, Regeneron’s high-dose ILEA trials, upcoming auction of Mitsubishi pharma unit, and more. This episode aired on December 20, 2024.
On this week’s episode, Josh Schimmer, Yaron Werber, Brian Skorney, Tess Cameron, and Eric Schmidt kick off the show covering the macro news of the week including the new FTC head and what it means for M&A in the industry. The group also discusses how the biopharma industry is not challenging RFK Jr., the BioSecure Act missing from the Defense Bill and Luigi Mangione’s arrest. In ASH Conference highlights, the hosts recap the CAR-T battle of Arcellx/Gilead vs Ligand/J&J, as well as updates from Agios and other SCD cell therapies. Other topics discussed include Blenrep’s return, BTK degraders from Beigene and Nurix, the Revance/Crown deal as well the big stock movers off the week. This episode aired on December 13, 2024.
On this episode of Biotech Hangout, Eric Schmidt, Bruce Booth, Yaron Werber, Tim Opler and Mike Yee begin the show discussing the highlights from the Jefferies Healthcare Conference before taking a look at public investor sentiment this week. The discussion turns to Atlas Venture’s 2024 Year in Review and transitions into the emerging themes for 2025. The hosts also recap ACR Convergence including Amgen’s Phase 3 data as well as data from cell therapies for SLE, SSC, IMNM. The group also discuss lipid readouts from Eli Lilly, Silence Therapeutics and NewAmsterdam Pharma. Other topics covered include the Incyte and Escient deal collapse, Kura Oncology’s pact with Kyowa Kirin, and perspectives on Trump’s nomination of Dr. Mehmet Oz to lead the CMS. This episode aired on November 22, 2024.
On this episode, Brad Loncar, Sam Fazeli, Tess Cameron, Nina Kjellson and Michal Preminger kick off the show sharing perspectives on Trump’s selection of Robert F. Kennedy Jr as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The hosts shift to Abbvie’s disappointing Phase 2 trials and a broader discussion on why M&A can be tough. The group also discussed the recent flood of licensing and new companies based on China assets, including some of the players and approaches. The hosts also discuss Halozyme's takeover proposal of Evotec, the VEGF/PD-1 frenzy, J&J hits back with 340b lawsuit, the GOP tax bill and impact on biopharma priorities, and more. This episode aired on November 15, 2024.
On this episode, Daphne Zohar, John Maraganore, Josh Schimmer, Eric Schmidt and Sam Fazeli are joined by Endpoints’ Zach Brennan for a discussion on the election results and what we can expect with a Trump administration, including the negatives/risks for the biotech industry as well as the positives and potential opportunities. The hosts also cover other news from the week including Moderna’s Q3 earnings and the company’s CEO Bancel stepping down as sales chief, as well as BioNTech’s Q3 earnings and the potential softening of vaccine pricing. The group recapped the ASH conference and readouts including Arcellx’s early data and related stock movement. The discussion turns to ObesityWeek highlights including data from AstraZeneca, Vertex, Zealand and Novo Nordisk. Other topics covered this week include Sarepta’s SRP-5051 discontinuation, the death of gene editing and the impact to the fledgling field. This episode aired on November 8, 2024.
On this episode of Biotech Hangout, hosts Chris Garabedian, Daphne Zohar, Josh Schimmer, Tim Opler, Paul Matteis and special guest Allison DeAngelis kick off the show with a look at the renewed interest and recent funding in the neuropsychiatric disease space, including Seaport Therapeutics’ $225 million Series B financing. This progresses into a comparison of diversified versus focused pipelines as Roivant CEO Matt Gline joins the stage as an impromptu guest to share his perspective on the benefits and challenges of the hub-and-spoke model. The group also discusses recent biotech market performance and how the statistics show that biotech is actually having a really good year. Turning to data, the hosts cover Alto Neurosciences’ Phase 2 results and discuss the idea of precision psych and the use of biomarkers in clinical trials. The group also discusses Vertex’s Phase 2 pain data and how Intellia’s positive Phase 2 data in hereditary angioedema moved the stock in the surprisingly wrong direction. Other topics discussed include Sangamo’s accelerated path for its Fabry gene therapy, Starboard takes on Pfizer, Alkermes and Roche earnings highlights, and more. *This episode aired on October 25, 2024.
On this week’s episode of Biotech Hangout, hosts Daphne Zohar, Josh Schimmer, Brad Loncar, John Maraganore, Paul Matteis, Mike Yee and Tess Cameron open up with market commentary and how derivatives, debates and dynamics are impacting stocks including Scholar Rock, Biohaven, Roche and Regeneron. The group also highlights CeriBell, which is the first medtech IPO in years. The hosts turn to neuro sentiment with a look at Lundbeck’s acquisition of Longboard at an approximate value of $2.5 billion net of cash. The conversation turns to the idea of competitors benefiting from M&A and data, with this week’s example of Bright Minds Bioscience’s market cap going from $4 million to $172 million. The group also discusses the FDA’s approval of Novocure’s Optune device for the treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer before turning to a conversation on vaccines, including Moderna’s upcoming Phase 3 CMV data. Wave Life Sciences first-ever therapeutic RNA was also covered, which led to a discussion on how important milestones open new doors. Other topics discussed include the launch of City Therapeutics, Benitec’s gene therapy update, and more. *This episode aired on October 18, 2024.
On this week’s episode of Biotech Hangout, hosts Chris Garabedian, Bruce Booth, Josh Schimmer, Eric Schmidt and Sam Fazeli start the show on the topic of M&A and ponder “where are the deals?” as they consider potential reasons such as the U.S. election, too few assets or too few buyers. The conversation turns to the venture funding environment with a preview of the third quarter venture funding numbers. On the theme of stock price reactions, the group digs into why Sarepta’s has dropped despite its gene therapy now fully approved and discusses Soleno’s stock jump on the news from regulators to not hold an advisory meeting over its new drug application. In other news, the group highlights another China deal, this time between AstraZeneca and CSPS Pharma for a pre-clinical novel lipid-lowering therapy. The hosts also discuss the move by Lily to go after the compounding pharmacies, GSK agrees to settle Zantac lawsuits and the latest on Pfizer and Starboard which leads to a broader discussion on activism in biopharma. Regarding data, the hosts cover GSK’s RSV data, Scholar Rock’s spinal muscular atrophy data, among other topics. *This episode aired on October 11, 2024.
On this week’s Biotech Hangout, hosts Josh Schimmer, Brad Loncar, Sam Fazeli and Tess Cameron kick off the show digging into some macro trends and the potential of an incoming M&A wave. The conversation then turns to a range of topics related to China, including the impact of the stimulus, recent innovation, and the latest obesity assets & China-sourced drugs. The hosts also discuss the updates coming out of Roche’s business day, including the company’s acquisition of a CDK inhibitor from China’s Regor. On the data front, the hosts discuss Poseida and Roche’s myeloma data and J&J / Legend’s Carvytki data, then turn to other news of the week including J&J’s battle to implement a 340B rebate model, BioNTech & Instadeep AI Day updates, IGM Biosciences pivots to immunology, Harrow relaunches Triesence, and more. *This episode aired on October 4, 2024.
On this week’s Biotech Hangout, hosts Daphne Zohar, Brad Loncar, Josh Schimmer, Chris Garabedian, John Maraganore and Sam Fazeli kick off the show sharing perspectives on the markets and its effects on the growing queue of biotech IPOs, particularly following the influx of large private deals over the past few months. As the founding CEO of Alnylam, John provides his thoughts on the Helios-B full study data presentation at the ESC Congress while the broader group weighs in on the competitive implications of the data. The hosts also discuss Recursion, which shared some mixed data this week on its lead AI-derived drug candidate. In other data news, the group discussed the battle of the BTK inhibitors with both Sanofi and Roche announcing multiple sclerosis clinical trial readouts. The management theme was prominently featured in this week’s discussion as the hosts talk about some rules of engagement for biotech executives, ‘founder mode versus manager mode’ leadership styles, and ponder the sweep of management changes announced by Dyne Therapeutics. The hosts also set the stage for anticipated data announcements at the upcoming World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) and European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), and much more. *This episode aired on September 6, 2024.
On this week’s Biotech Hangout, hosts Brad Loncar, Tim Opler, Josh Schimmer and Sam Fazeli assess the recent macro trends, including the current state of the US economy and some good news for biotech. The group also discussed the big reveal this week on Medicare drug pricing issues and industry perspectives on whether it was more of a whimper versus a bang. In M&A, the Revance and Crown Laboratories merger was discussed as well as broader M&A trends including how a potential change in the White House could impact the FTC and scrutiny on pharma deals. In other news, the hosts shared differing perspectives on Genentech shutting down its cancer immunology group and the company’s wider R&D prioritization. The group also discussed the World Health Organization declaring MPOX a global health emergency and the vaccines in development from Bavarian Nordic, Moderna and BioNTech. Other topics covered on this episode include Zealand’s earnings, positive data from Rivus and Denali, a look ahead at The World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) and European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and more. *This episode aired on August 16, 2024.
On this week’s Biotech Hangout, hosts Eric Schmidt, Brad Loncar, Brad Skorney, Luba Greenwood and Josh Schimmer kick off the episode summarizing the wild week for biotech stocks. The group also recaps some of the big earning announcements from the week, including a larger discussion on overall learnings from the Q2 earnings season. The hosts discuss Charles River Laboratories as a harbinger of pharma cost cutting and share general perspectives on the IRA impact on pharma. The FDA’s approval of Agios/Servier’s vorasidenib (Voranigo) for glioma was also discussed, with a look back at Servier’s earlier acquisition of Agios’ oncology business. The group also engages in a discussion on muscle disease as a growing area with potential to address large unmet medical needs and highlights some innovative companies in the space. Other topics covered include the Recursion and Exscientia merger, the biotech bubble, the potential impact of the election on the pharma industry and more. *This episode aired on August 9, 2024.