This week, John Stanford sits down with Dr. Ned Sharpless - former NCI Director, Acting FDA Commissioner, and now venture capitalist at Jupiter Bio Ventures. From the challenges of biotech funding, regulatory uncertainty, and the Inflation Reduction Act to the rise of China in biotech, IP battles, and the hype around AI, Ned offers candid insights you won’t hear anywhere else.

What do you think about the current funding environment in biotech?
How should the U.S. respond to China’s scientific rise? 

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Timestamps:
0:00 Welcome to Making Medicine
0:12 Guest introduction: Dr. Ned Sharpless
1:03 Launch of Jupiter Bio Ventures
3:31 The tough biotech funding environment
5:27 Regulatory uncertainty, IRA, and FDA challenges
8:02 Leadership turmoil at FDA, NIH, and HHS 10:18 RFK Jr.’s vision and impact on health policy
13:05 Morale, recruitment, and expertise at federal agencies 15:20 How NIH, FDA, and CMS work together 
19:00 NIH funding freezes and Congressional outlook 23:36 FDA’s new priority review voucher program
28:02 Public skepticism, politics, and FDA trust
30:02 The “pill penalty,” EPIC Act, and IRA fixes
34:04 Why small molecules still matter for cancer 35:40 IP protections, march-in rights, and investment risks
39:20 The debate over Most Favored Nation drug pricing
43:12 Direct-to-consumer pricing as a potential solution 
44:38 AI in biotech-hype vs. reality
46:46 China’s rise in biotech and global competition
50:11 Closing thoughts and optimism for science