Cures & Capital

Over the past few months, we’ve had the chance to speak with some of the sharpest minds in the industry—thinkers and practitioners who have shaped how we understand drug innovation, R&D productivity, portfolio strategy, and other critical topics.

In this episode, we bring together the major insights and lessons, highlighting patterns that emerged across the different conversations.

We also spotlight the unique takeaways from each guest to help ensure these key learnings really stick. Whether you're an R&D leader, investor, innovator, or strategist, these insights will help you rethink how to create real, lasting value in an industry undergoing rapid change.

If you want to connect with us - we would love to hear from you:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cures-capital-podcast

If you prefer to get the episodes as just audio, you can also get the podcast from Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Disclaimer: This podcast and activities related to it are completely independent from our day jobs. All the views and opinions expressed through this channel are solely our own and do not represent or in any way reflect the views and opinions of the companies we work for.

In this episode, we talk to Aaron Schact, the CEO and Board Director at BiomEdit and former R&D leader at Eli Lilly and Elanco. 

We discuss how to improve biopharma's R&D productivity and the industry's "grand challenge", why R&D productivity is the mental model for managing R&D at scale, practical advice on how to approach and work with R&D productivity, and much more!

If you want to connect with us - we would love to hear from you:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cures-capital-podcast

If you prefer to watch the episode as a video, you can also get the podcast from YouTube, just search for "Cures & Capital".

If you want to connect with Aaron or read about BiomEdit:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronlschacht/
BiomEdit: https://www.biomedit.com

Research paper: "How to improve R&D productivity: the pharmaceutical industry's grand challenge"
Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/nrd3078

Disclaimer: This podcast and activities related to it are completely independent from our day jobs. All the views and opinions expressed through this channel are solely our own and do not represent or in any way reflect the views and opinions of the companies we work for.

In this episode, our guest is Dr. Matthias Krings - a senior partner at Catenion, a biopharma strategy consulting firm.

Matthias is a seasoned veteran in biopharma strategy.

In this conversation, he shares his playbook for achieving success as a biopharma company.

As critical pillars for biopharma success, we dive into strategy processes, decision-making, and effective R&D risk management.

If you want to connect with us - we would love to hear from you:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cures-capital-podcast

You can also watch the full episode on our YouTube channel.

Get in touch with Catenion: www.catenion.com

You can get in touch with Matthias through the Catenion website or via LinkedIn. 

Disclaimer: This podcast and activities related to it are completely independent from our day jobs. All the views and opinions expressed through this channel are solely our own and do not represent or in any way reflect the views and opinions of the companies we work for.

How do venture capitalists think? And how do they define and create value in the life science industry?

In this episode, we talk to Stephan Christgau, founding partner of Eir Ventures, about the VC mindset, investment decision-making and portfolio strategy. We dive into how VCs assess risk, balance high-stakes opportunities, and what could pharma and biotech companies learn from the VC way of doing things.

If you want to connect with us - we would love to hear from you:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cures-capital-podcast

If you prefer to get the episodes as a video, you can watch our talking heads on YouTube.

If you want to connect with Stephan or read about Eir Ventures:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephan-christgau-6464392/
Eir Ventures: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eir-ventures/

Disclaimer: This podcast and activities related to it are completely independent from our day jobs. All the views and opinions expressed through this channel are solely our own and do not represent or in any way reflect the views and opinions of the companies we work for.

Disclaimer: This podcast and activities related to it are completely independent from our day jobs. All the views and opinions expressed through this channel are solely our own and do not represent or in any way reflect the views and opinions of the companies we work for.

In this episode, we sit down with Murray Aitken, Executive Director of the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science, to discuss the trends shaping the life sciences industry in 2025 and beyond.

How do we navigate the life sciences industry in times of great uncertainty?

Murray has observed the life sciences industry for decades and lays out his balanced perspective of the state of the industry and the underlying uncertainties, challenges and opportunities. This episode is a must-watch for anyone who wants to know what is going on in the industry. 

If you want to connect with us - we'd love to hear from you:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cures-capital-podcast

If you prefer to watch the episode, check our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@CuresCapital

If you want to connect with Murray or follow up on the latest insights from IQVIA:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/murray-aitken-iqviainstitute/
IQVIA: https://www.iqvia.com/

Report: 2025 Indicators of Progress for Advancing Health Globally
Link: https://www.iqvia.com/insights/the-iqvia-institute/reports-and-publications/reports/2025-indicators-of-progress-for-advancing-health-globally

Report: Global Trends in R&D 2024: Activity, productivity, and enablers
Link: https://www.iqvia.com/insights/the-iqvia-institute/reports-and-publications/reports/global-trends-in-r-and-d-2024-activity-productivity-and-enablers

Disclaimer: This podcast and activities related to it are completely independent from our day jobs. All the views and opinions expressed through this channel are solely our own and do not represent or in any way reflect the views and opinions of the companies we work for.

In this episode, Mike Rea - CEO, IDEA Pharma - takes us on a journey through innovation and value creation in pharma. It is not all roses!

He shares his candid views on what the pharmaceutical industry needs to do better to be less confused about innovation.

Mike Rea also explains the importance of getting the definition of innovation right in drug development. Early commercial involvement in drug R&D is another key pillar in his drug innovation philosophy.

We also get to discuss organizational design and team size conducive to unlocking pharma's innovation potential.

You can easily get in touch with Mike Rea through LinkedIn, X, etc.

If you want to connect with us - and join the discussions with other listeners:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cures-capital-podcast

YouTube - watch the interview:
https://www.youtube.com/@CuresCapital

Disclaimer: This podcast and activities related to it are completely independent from our day jobs. All the views and opinions expressed through this channel are solely our own and do not represent or in any way reflect the views and opinions of the companies we work for.

In this episode, Kelvin Stott talks about why might be pharma's business model broken and how can it be fixed, the declining ROI on drug R&D, better R&D portfolio decision making, raising the bar in pharma/biotech innovation and more. 

Kelvin Stott has over 20 years of diverse leadership experience in pharma R&D strategy and operations, drug discovery and development, portfolio management, strategy consulting, biotech start-ups and venture capital. Currently, he is the Founder and CEO of Amporin Pharmaceuticals.

If you want to connect with us:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cures-capital-podcast

YouTube - watch the interview:
https://www.youtube.com/@CuresCapital

If you want to connect with Kelvin or follow up on some of his work:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelvinstott/
Amporin Pharmaceuticals: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amporin/

Article: Pharma's broken business model - Part 1: An industry on the brink of terminal decline
Link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/pharmas-broken-business-model-industry-brink-terminal-kelvin-stott/

Article: Pharma's broken business model - Part 2: Scraping the barrel in drug discovery
Link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/pharmas-broken-business-model-part-2-scraping-barrel-kelvin-stott/

Disclaimer: This podcast and activities related to it are completely independent from our day jobs. All the views and opinions expressed through this channel are solely our own and do not represent or in any way reflect the views and opinions of the companies we work for.

In this episode, Dr. Jack Scannell delves into topics such as R&D productivity, decision-making, model validity, and more.

If you're looking to deepen your understanding of these areas, there's no better guide than Jack.

Jack brings a deep and holistic understanding of the biotech and pharma industry, having held a variety of roles—including being a neuroscientist, strategy consultant, investment analyst, and now the CEO of Etheros Pharmaceuticals.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
02:08 Guest introduction - Dr. Jack Scannell
05:46 R&D productivity from past to present to future
34:00 Decision making, model validity and quality
56:00 Practitioner's view and advice
01:04:04 Closing remarks with Jack
01:05:45 Episode summary and discussion with Martin and Simon

If you want to connect with us:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cures-capital-podcast

YouTube - watch the interview:
https://www.youtube.com/@CuresCapital

If you want to connect with Jack or follow up on some of his work:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-scannell-554b28/
X: https://x.com/jackscannell13
Etheros Pharmaceuticals: https://etherospharma.com

Paper: Diagnosing the decline in pharmaceutical R&D efficiency Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/nrd3681

Paper: Predictive validity in drug discovery: what it is, why it matters and how to improve it Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41573-022-00552-x

Paper: When Quality Beats Quantity: Decision Theory, Drug Discovery, and the Reproducibility Crisis Link: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0147215

Paper: Performance assessment and economic analysis of a human Liver-Chip for predictive toxicology (Novel approach to DCF valuation of biopharma assets is here in Supplementary Data 2 of the paper) Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43856-022-00209-1

Disclaimer: This podcast and activities related to it are completely independent from our day jobs. All the views and opinions expressed through this channel are solely our own and do not represent or in any way reflect the views and opinions of the companies we work for.

EPISODE 1 - Cures & Capital: Trailer Episode

In this episode, we introduce the scope and mission of the podcast.

Our focus with Cures & Capital is the intersection between drug R&D and finance. 

Hosts: Martin Slezak & Simon Birksø.

Disclaimer: This podcast and activities related to it are completely independent from our day jobs. All the views and opinions expressed through this channel are solely our own and do not represent or in any way reflect the views and opinions of the companies we work for.