Dr. Christopher Piorkowski, Divisional Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Abbott's Electrophysiology business, is the latest guest on The Top Line podcast.
A seasoned expert in the field of electrophysiology, he joins us to discuss and explain some of Abbott’s latest solutions and advancements, as well as best practices to support treatment for abnormal heart rhythms.

EnSite X, for example, is Abbott’s revolutionary 3D heart mapping software which Piorkowski describes as the company's most important product development of the past decade and compares it to the transition from a gasoline to an electric car in terms of its implications.

And it is easy to see why. EnSite X acts as an ultra-accurate GPS system that helps physicians to locate and understand the areas in a patient’s heart needing ablation. A significant update has been the incorporation of near field technology – this helps physicians to understand which of the electrical signals that they see on the catalyst is truly from the location of a catheter, as opposed to signals that come from further away in so-called far field signals. 

The discussion also takes a turn towards pulsed field ablation, something which Abbott has been working with for well over a decade.

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On March 29th, the FDA approved the Narcan nasal spray for over-the-counter sales. It is the first naloxone product approved for use without a prescription. In this episode of The Top Line, Fierce Pharma staff writer Fraiser Kansteiner continues our mini-series to explore what that means for the opioid epidemic. The series will tackle questions about using the product, its accessibility and whether the move will save lives.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Emergent makes history with first FDA nod for over-the-counter naloxone
• Teva, Sandoz have launched Narcan generics, but Emergent's branded option should still thrive: analysts
• Adapt tests ads urging opioid users' loved ones to stock Narcan at home
• Eyeing $1B in annual sales, Emergent BioSolutions to buy Narcan maker Adapt for $735M
• Ahead of next month's FDA decision, Emergent aces AdComm for over-the-counter Narcan nod
• Virtual Roundtable: Remote Therapeutic Monitoring, The Future of Virtual Care Management

The Top Line is produced by senior podcast producer Teresa Carey. The stories are by all our “Fierce” journalists. Like and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

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On March 29th, the FDA approved the Narcan nasal spray for over-the-counter sales. It is the first naloxone product approved for use without a prescription. In this episode of The Top Line, Fierce Pharma staff writer Fraiser Kansteiner launches a mini-series to explore what that means for the opioid epidemic. The series will tackle questions about using the product, its accessibility and whether the move will save lives.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Emergent makes history with first FDA nod for over-the-counter naloxone
• Teva, Sandoz have launched Narcan generics, but Emergent's branded option should still thrive: analysts
• Adapt tests ads urging opioid users' loved ones to stock Narcan at home
• Eyeing $1B in annual sales, Emergent BioSolutions to buy Narcan maker Adapt for $735M
• Ahead of next month's FDA decision, Emergent aces AdComm for over-the-counter Narcan nod

The Top Line is produced by senior podcast producer Teresa Carey. The stories are by all our “Fierce” journalists. Like and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2022 was the third straight year where the coronavirus pandemic had an extreme effect on the revenue of several biopharma companies. Pfizer became the first company in industry history to rack up more than 100 billion dollars in sales. We discuss how other companies fared in 2022 and what we can expect this year. 

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• The top 20 pharma companies by 2022 revenue
• Big Pharmas finally strike with GSK, Merck acquisitions, signaling accelerating pace of M&A
• Merck & Co. inks $11B Prometheus takeover, firing starting gun on race for blockbuster bowel market
• GSK coughs up $2B to buy Bellus for late-phase rival to Merck & Co.'s stuttering gefapixant
• Medtronic embarks on monthslong global layoffs, with total cuts unknown
• Eli Lilly adds $1.6B to its manufacturing spending plan in Indiana, breaking a company record
• J&J, Legend's Carvykti cut risk of progression or death by whopping 74% in earlier myeloma, leaked abstract shows

The Top Line is produced by senior podcast producer Teresa Carey. The stories are by all our "Fierce" journalists. Like and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

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Fierce Biotech regularly pulls together the industry’s top money raisers from the year before. Staff writer Gabrielle Masson and Editor-in-Chief Ayla Ellison discuss a few of the biotechs at the top of the list. 

Plus, in this episode, we cover Johnson & Johnson's talc litigation, prison plans for Elizabeth Holmes and more of this week's top headlines. 

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Biotech's top money raisers of 2022
• Johnson & Johnson's $8.9B bankruptcy settlement is 'unworkable,' talc plaintiff lawyer says
• Theranos' Elizabeth Holmes must report to prison this month despite pending appeal, judge rules
• FDA dubs Abbott's FreeStyle Libre battery issues a Class I recall, spanning 4.2M devices
• Philips re-recalls 1,200 CPAP, BiPAP machines repaired in far-reaching ventilator probe
• Activist investor Icahn calls for Illumina CEO to be voted off company board over Grail deal
• Moderna's mRNA flu shot struggles to prove its worth again in phase 3 trial
• Sanofi's Provention buyout hit with FTC delay. Will Pfizer's Seagen deal go off as planned?
• After last year's cuts, Biogen kicks off another round of layoffs

The Top Line is produced by senior podcast producer Teresa Carey and managing editor Querida Anderson. The sound engineer is Caleb Hodgson. The stories are by all our “Fierce” journalists. Like and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

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For a long time, AbbVie’s Humira was the world’s top-selling drug. But the bestseller will finally face biosimilar competition. Plus, this year is also chock-full of other big-name, blockbuster drugs headed for the patent cliff. In this episode, we discuss 2023's patent story. 

Plus, we cover how Johnson & Johnson is looking to end its talc litigation with a sweeping settlement and more of this week's top headlines. 

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• The top 10 drugs losing US exclusivity in 2023
• J&J proposes $8.9B talc settlement deal but some plaintiffs decry 'woefully inadequate' offer
• FTC reverses course, orders Illumina to unravel Grail deal
• Cytokinetics' pipeline tumble continues after ALS med flops in phase 3 interim look
• Ahead of Pfizer buyout, Seagen's Padcev gains Keytruda combo nod in first-line bladder cancer
• Butterfly nets AI ultrasound clearance for spotting signs of lung disease
• Intra-Cellular crowned your winner of the Fierce Madness Drug Ad Tournament 2023

"The Top Line" is produced by senior podcast producer Teresa Carey and managing editor Querida Anderson. The sound engineer is Caleb Hodgson. The stories are by all our “Fierce” journalists. Like and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2022 was a tough year for biotechs in anyone’s book. At Fierce, we recorded 119 companies that resorted to laying off staff. And judging by the Fierce Biotech Layoff Tracker, 2023 is looking like more of the same. Fierce Biotech’s James Waldron sat down with Glenn Hunzinger, the U.S. pharma and life science leader at PwC, to talk about the financial trends he expects biotechs to face in 2023. 

Plus, in this episode, we cover Emergent's Narcan over-the-counter approval, the first PTSD neuromodulation device approval and more of this week's top headlines. 

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• We have achieved peak biotech formation. It's time for 'musical chairs'
• 'Stay alive': Wave of layoffs crashes into biotech startup inferno
• Fierce Biotech Layoff Tracker 2023: Alector sends home 11%; Ferring closes US research institute
• Fierce Biotech Fundraising Tracker '23: OncoVerity tacks on $30M from argenx, Univ. of Colorado; Sonoma nabs $30M Regeneron investment
• Fierce Biotech Layoff Tracker: Layoffs strike 119 companies in 2022
• Fierce Biotech Fundraising Tracker: Enlaza launches with $61M; Enveda brings in $68M
• Emergent makes history with first FDA nod for over-the-counter naloxone
• Neuromodulation device for PTSD treatment from GrayMatters snags FDA nod
• Musk's Neuralink seeks a clinical trial partner as it awaits FDA go-ahead: Reuters
• J&J scraps late-stage RSV vaccine in R&D overhaul, dropping out of race with GSK, Pfizer
• Look out, Lilly. Novartis touts 'consistent benefit' for Kisqali in broad early-stage breast cancer
• From cell therapies to US-made ingredients, White House outlines new drug manufacturing goals

The Top Line is produced by senior podcast producer Teresa Carey and managing editor Querida Anderson. The sound engineer is Caleb Hodgson. The stories are by all our “Fierce” journalists. Like and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

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This year kicks off the second decade of Fierce Medtech’s annual Fierce 15 report. Not surprisingly, the startups featured on this year’s list are raising the bar for medtech developers everywhere. Staff writer Andrea Park and Editor-in-Chief Ayla Ellison discuss a few of the 15 startups that made the cut. 

Plus, in this episode, we cover Illumina and Carl Icahn's proxy battle, Sanofi slashing insulin prices and more of this week's top headlines. 

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Fierce Medtech's 2022 Fierce 15
• Illumina, Carl Icahn trade jabs amid looming proxy fight over $8B Grail buy
• Biogen, Novartis deliver one-two punch to Sangamo, walking away from deals in quick succession
• AbbVie's blockbuster-to-be Parkinson's combo hits a wall as FDA questions delivery pump
• Gilead's Yescarta puts pressure on BMS' Breyanzi with overall survival win in large B-cell lymphoma
• Selecta, Sobi rout gout in pair of phase 3 trials that could challenge Horizon
• Sanofi answers the call, joining Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk in cutting insulin prices
• California invests $50M to partner with Civica Rx on insulin manufacturing

The Top Line is produced by senior podcast producer Teresa Carey and managing editor Querida Anderson. The sound engineer is Caleb Hodgson. The stories are by all our “Fierce” journalists. Like and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

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Is it all bad news in the bear market? Not necessarily.

After a tumultuous couple of years, many biotechs are looking for signs of improvement in 2023. After all, the biotech sector felt the market pain acutely, particularly over the last 18 months: 2022 marked the longest period of net negative performance for biotech stocks, with the SPDR S&P Biotech ETF XBI extending net losses over a 70-week period. 

But things are looking up: the XBI was 7% up in January of this year, and investor sentiment seems to be improving.

Biotechs can look forward to some upward momentum if they take the right strategic steps now. In this podcast, Sara Michelmore and Karen Sharma from MacDougall Advisors share what biotechs can do to position themselves for this market swing. 

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The sudden failure of Silicon Valley Bank sent shock waves across global markets. Fierce Biotech Senior Editor Annalee Armstrong talked with Kiah Haslett, managing editor of the publication Bank Director, about how SVB’s failure came to be and what to expect next.

Armstrong and Fierce staff writer Max Bayer chat about how the biotech sector reacted given that SVB served almost half of all venture-backed technology and life sciences companies. They reflect on what surprised them as journalists covering the SVB news. Plus, in this episode, we cover Pfizer's blockbuster Seagen buyout, an expanded antibody-drug conjugate collaboration and more of this week's top headlines. 

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• UPDATE: SVB failure triggers shock waves across biotech industry
• UK biopharma body praises bank for keeping doors open at life science startups by rescuing SVB UK
• Insulet tapped to replace SVB on S&P 500 index after bank collapse
• Biden says America's 'banking system is safe' after regulators back up all SVB deposits
• With $43B buyout, Pfizer sees cancer specialist Seagen as a 'goose' laying 'golden eggs'
• Synaffix, MacroGenics crack open ADC pact, tacking on $2.2B, 4 more programs
• Novo Nordisk follows Eli Lilly's lead, slashing insulin prices in the US
• Lilly's 10-year bet on treating Alzheimer's before symptoms start ends in failure
• PerkinElmer completes $2.45B spinoff to create new diagnostics, life sciences company
• FDA oncology chief aims to open up accelerated approval for earlier cancer treatment under 'Project FrontRunner'
• Podnosis, a Fierce Healthcare podcast

The Top Line is produced by senior multimedia producer Teresa Carey and managing editor Querida Anderson with editor-in-chief Ayla Ellison and senior editors Annalee Armstrong, Ben Adams, Conor Hale and Eric Sagonowsky. The sound engineer is Caleb Hodgson. The stories are by all our “Fierce” journalists. Like and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.