Biotech Hangout

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.

On this week’s episode, hosts Josh Schimmer, Sam Fazeli, Brian Skorney, Michal Preminger and Eric Schmidt kick off the show by discussing the recent growth in XBI performance. The group weighs in on IPO dynamics, hypothesizing on the influence of investors and the power of FOMO. They go on to note the success of Viking Therapeutics as they’re moving into Phase 3 for their GLP-1 agonist, and what the future may hold for the weight-loss drug market. Shifting gears, the hosts raise concerns on CHMP issuing a negative opinion of Leqembi for Alzheimer’s disease, signaling a shift in the relation of CHMP and FDA standards. The group also discusses PBM execs facing heat from the House Oversight Committee as well as recent rare disease news including the FDA’s launch of a Rare Disease Innovation Hub. The hosts also highlight the growing success of gene therapy and close the show by discussing one of the top ten rules of engagement for biotech executives. *This episode aired on July 26, 2024.

On this week’s episode, hosts Daphne Zohar, Josh Schimmer, Sam Fazeli, Luba Greenwood, Brian Skorney and Paul Matteis begin the show with commentary on the Republican National Convention, including former President Trump’s pick of former biotech entrepreneur and Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate and the potential impact of this administration on the biotech sector, if elected. The discussion transitions to the week’s theme of biotech catalysts, including stock reactions in the current environment and some key catalysts that the hosts are watching closely. The group begins with a roundup of catalysts from the last five days, including Revolution Medicines pancreatic cancer drug data, Lexeo’s positive interim Phase 1/2 data for the treatment of Friedreich Ataxia Cardiomyopathy, 4D Molecular’s Phase 2 interim results in Broad Wet AMD, Pathom Pharma’s approval of VOQUENZA for relief of heartburn associated with Non-Erosive GERD, and Roche’s early data from its Phase 1 obesity drug trial. The discussion then shifts to upcoming catalysts with the hosts sharing the companies and catalysts on their watchlists. Some of the key catalysts highlighted include Amgen’s MariTide Phase 2 readout in obesity, Biogen’s Phase 3 readout for its lupus program, three big data events in depression including from Neumora, J&J and Alto Neuroscience, plus an expected FDA decision for AutoImmune, Alnylam’s Phase 3 full study results of vutrisiran and more. *This episode aired on July 19, 2024.

On this week’s Biotech Hangout, hosts Daphne Zohar, Brad Loncar, Josh Schimmer, Tim Opler and Chris Garabedian open up with a conversation on recent trends in M&A for private biotechs versus public companies and the potential impact of the election year. The hosts also cover the important data readouts from the week, including Alnylam’s positive Phase 3 results for its ATTR drug and Lyell’s report of a patient death in its early-stage CAR T trial. Additional data covered includes Wave’s Huntington data readout, Intellia’s redosing of CRISPR gene editing therapy and Savara’s Phase 3 readout in rare lung disease. In financing news, the hosts recap Curie.bio’s $380M Pro Rata Series A Fund, Formation’s $372M Series D and Recursion’s $200M offering. This leads into a conversation on AI in drug development and how this is an area full of both promise and hype. On the management theme, the group discusses Gingko’s recent layoffs, business model & revenues. Rounding out the show on the management theme, Amylyx’s pivot to license GLP-1 was mentioned as an example of a management team earning credibility for following through on their word. *This episode aired on June 28, 2024.

On this week’s Biotech Hangout, hosts Daphne Zohar, Brad Loncar, Josh Schimmer, Eric Schmidt, Sam Fazeli, Bruce Booth and Grace Colon discuss the big news of the week including the FDA granting a landmark expanded approval for Sarepta’s Elevidys for patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The hosts share their varying opinions on whether the expanded approval was the right decision. The group also engages in a few discussion topics around management, including the “everything is awesome CEO” and the best and worst practices for managing a board. With multiple companies dealing with a stock drop this week (Cabaletta Bio, Kyverna Therapeutics, Taysha Gene Therapies, Aerovate Therapeutics, Ovid Therapeutics), the hosts discuss the different issues these pose for management teams and how to deal with market reactions. The group also shares thoughts on the 2024 class of IPOs, EHA 2024 highlights, BioNTech’s clinical hold on its early-stage cancer drug study, and much more. This episode aired on June 21, 2024.

On this week’s Biotech Hangout, hosts Eric Schmidt, Josh Schimmer, Dawn Bell, Brad Loncar, Tim Opler, Sam Fazeli and Paul Matteis kick off the show by discussing CPI data and how inflation is impacting the $XBI, with analysts hopeful that stability will bring lower interest rates soon. The hosts cover the obesity market, providing updates on new datasets, such as findings from $LLY and $NVO, which indicate promising results in liver fat reduction and potential fibrosis reversal with GLP1+ agents. They also discuss competitive dynamics and investor sentiment of the obesity market and highlight the involvement of various players, including new startups and established pharma companies. In addition, the hosts share updates on Alzheimer’s treatments, including takeaways from the EULAR meeting and $LLY’s lecanemab panel, alongside the competitive landscape between $LLY, $ESAIY and $BIIB. The hosts also explore the role of patient advocacy within the biotech industry, focusing on $PFE’s DMD study and $SRPTA’s upcoming PDFUA, the role that patient advocacy groups have on regulatory decisions,  and the impact these groups have on influencing industry standards and guidelines. *This episode aired on June 14, 2024.

On this week’s Biotech Hangout, hosts Josh Schimmer, Brad Loncar, Tim Opler, Eric Schmidt and Sam Fazeli are joined by special guests Jacob Plieth and Madeleine Armstrong for a deep dive into ASCO 2024, including the highs and lows on the data front. The hosts also discuss the shifting interests from pharma companies as some suggest T-cell engagers may have overtaken ADCs and radios in the oncology space. In non-ASCO news, the group covers NASH data from Lilly and Viking and Structure’s data in obesity. The hosts also discuss the latest on BioSecure Act, improving inflation numbers and pickup in the XBI, Moderna’s first vaccine approval outside of COVID, and more. This episode aired on June 7, 2024.