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Part 3 of 4.Â
My guest for this week’s episode is Doug Drysdale, CEO at Cybin. Cybin is a clinical-stage biopharma company on a mission to create safe and effective psychedelic-based therapeutics.Â
Doug is an experienced investor, Corporate Director and CEO, who has chaired the Board of a NASDAQ-listed company and, as a CEO for the past 12 years, has built and turned around 3 pharma companies. During his 30+ years of experience in the healthcare sector, he has formed cohesive management teams, recruited board members, completed 16 corporate acquisitions across three continents and has raised and invested around $4 billion of both public and private capital.Â
Before Cybin, Doug was Commercial Products Manager at DuPont Merck, Director of BD at Elan, VP of M&A at Actavis Group, CEO of Norwich Pharmaceuticals and Alvogen, CEO of Pernix Therapeutics, and CEO of Tedor Pharma. His extensive background as a seasoned executive, investor, and turn-around specialist gives him a wide range of experiences that founders can learn from.
Join us this week and hear about:- Doug’s transition from BD to leading M&A at Actavis
- His insights on leveraging debt for acquisitions
- The importance of cultural fit in successful deals
- Doug’s strategic acquisitions at Actavis and the turnaround at Norwich Pharmaceuticals & Alvogen
- His challenges and successes at Pernix Therapeutics, the first public company Doug worked for
Please enjoy my conversation with Doug Drysdale.
Timestamps:00:28 Intro01:48 How to get into M&A as a scientist; what makes a successful M&A transaction?05:19 Doug’s experience raising credit facilities to support M&A activity07:46 Memorable challenges and triumphs at Actavis12:24 How do you find good investment opportunities? Things to keep an eye out for14:36 Doug’s move from Actavis to Norwich Pharmaceuticals and Alvogen18:10 Growth strategies at Norwich/Alvogen: M&A and Licensing19:14 Key lessons and takeaways from Doug’s time at Norwich/Alvogen; the importance of people and cultural fits24:33 Turning things around with Pernix Therapeutics, a public company26:50 Outro
Find Our Guest, Doug Drysdale, at these links:Â https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougdrysdale/https://cybin.com/
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:Â https://www.linkedin.com/in/joncheehttps://www.excedr.com
Social & WebsiteLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@excedr Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excedr_inc Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExcedrInc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excedr TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excedr Podcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/Â
Enriched Notes:
Topics Mentioned:Actavis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ActavisNorwich Pharmaceuticals: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwich_Pharma_ServicesAlvogen: https://www.alvogen.com/Debt Financing: https://www.excedr.com/blog/lease-financing-vs-debt-financingCredit Facility: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/creditfacility.aspCredit facilities for M&A activity: https://cpcp.ca/opinion/6-common-debt-financing-options-in-ma/R&D Licensing: https://www.excedr.com/blog/life-sciences-licensing-agreements-guideM&A Activity in Life Sciences: https://www.techtarget.com/pharmalifesciences/answer/Understanding-the-Value-of-Mergers-and-Acquisitions-in-Life-SciencesIP Assets in Life Sciences: https://www.excedr.com/resources/intellectual-property-rights-for-biotechsSales and Marketing Strategies for Startups: https://www.excedr.com/blog/marketing-sales-strategies-for-biotechsThe Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business
and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.
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