pharmaphorum Podcast

*This episode of the pharmaphorum podcast is brought to you in association with Klick Health* Europe continues to offer major life sciences advantages: deep scientific talent, strong clinical expertise, mature research infrastructure, and significant manufacturing capability. Indeed, biotech companies continue to invest in Europe as a long-term hub for scientific innovation, clinical research, and economic growth. In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh speaks with Giancarlo Benelli, SVP & Head of Europe at BeOne Medicines, for a conversation on what Europe must do, however, in order to remain globally competitive. Benelli discusses EFPIA’s latest reports on Europe’s competitiveness as a location for the life sciences industry, as well as exploring why it is at the same time losing ground to the US and to China. Additionally, Benelli comments on the importance of regulatory stability looking forward. You can listen to episode 275 of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it – and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean , and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from. *This episode of the pharmaphorum podcast is brought to you in association with Klick Health*

*This episode of the pharmaphorum podcast is brought to you in association with Klick Health* When it comes to digital innovation and AI, consideration of using and implementing such responsibly and ethically ever more becomes forefront. But how can pharma lead the way in ethical AI and trust-driven innovation? In a new pharmaphorum podcast, Erik Janssen, head of digital care transformation at UCB, joins web editor Nicole Raleigh for a conversation on responsible digital innovation and ethical AI. Janssen discusses how pharma can lead in responsible experimentation by focusing digital innovation on enhancing (not replacing) human care. He also speaks about co‑creating solutions with clinicians and patients, as well as the role of evidence‑based technology across the innovation framework. You can listen to episode 274 of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it – and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean , and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from. *This episode of the pharmaphorum podcast is brought to you in association with Klick Health*

Public demand for prevention is surging, with 33.6 million people now using the NHS App, yet, NHS leaders say the digital infrastructure required to deliver prevention at scale isn’t in place. In a new episode of the podcast, pharmaphorum spoke with James Davis, a healthcare expert at PA Consulting, for a conversation on the digital foundations needed to unlock a prevention first NHS. Davis also discusses the initiatives with the biggest near term impact, what NHS leaders are worried about, and issues of trust and inequality. You can listen to episode 273 of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it – and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean , and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from.

For a variety of reasons, early stage clinical trials have been moving out of the United States more and more over the past few years, as companies pursue savings and lighter regulatory burden in places like China and Australia. The industry has long urged the US government to take some action to make it more attractive to bring these trials back to the States. That's the broad idea behind Operation TRIALBLAZER, a campaign launched this summer by HHS and the FDA. On today's podcast, host Jonah Comstock is joined by Dr Harpreet Singh, currently chief medical officer at Precision for Medicine. That's her first private sector job after nearly nine years at the FDA, so she's able to bring both an insider and outsider perspective in discussing this initiative. In addition to sharing some details about her time at the FDA and how the organisation has changed, Dr Singh discusses the situation in clinical research that's led to the US' leadership in clinical trials slipping away, what's in the Trialblazer plans, and whether she thinks it will be enough to turn the tide. They also talk a little bit about radiotherapeutics regulation and discuss why having clinical trials in the United States is important not just for the economy, but also for patients who are missing out on opportunities for cutting-edge care. Tune in for a fascinating primer on a major new US government clinical trials initiative.

Chronic liver disease affects around 1.5 billion people globally. As understanding of liver disease improves, outcomes are increasingly determined by how early patients are identified, not just what therapies are available. In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh speaks with Lee Lehman Becker, Roche’s global head of healthcare insights at Roche Information Solutions (RIS), for a discussion of the liver disease epidemic that is being diagnosed too late and driving a growing health system crisis globally. The conversation also explores scalable diagnostic innovation and the role of this in addressing health system burden – metabolic liver disease projected to affect some 1.8 billion people by 2050, with global costs expected to exceed $2.3 trillion. You can listen to episode 271 of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it – and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean , and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from.

The drug price negotiation provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act were designed to continue evolving with each passing year. As CMS prepares for 2028 and 2029, the agency has put out new draft guidance codifying and, in some cases, modifying the fine print of the controversial law. They’ve also recently issued additional draft guidance on how they’ll handle the imminent introduction of Part B drugs into the programme. Hogan Lovells partner Alice Valder Curran returned to join pharmaphorum editor-in-chief Jonah Comstock to elucidate some of the finer points of this latest communication from CMS – and to urge the industry to take advantage of the public comment periods associated with it. Curran and Comstock discuss small, but impactful, changes in CMS’s policies around deemed biologics, vaccines, and the special provisions that protect small biotechs. And Curran gives a rundown of what’s in – as well as what’s not in – the new MFP effectuation guidance, laying out how the differences in how Part D and Part B drugs are paid for leave some big question marks hanging over the programme. Tune in for an easy-to-understand deep dive into some complicated subject matter, and for a more comprehensive rundown don’t forget to check out Hogan Lovells’ policy briefs on the new draft rules and the MFP effectuation guidance.

SYNGAP1-related disorder negatively impacts synaptic signalling during critical periods of brain development, leading to a range of cognitive, epileptic, behavioural, and motor symptoms. In a new episode of the pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh spoke with Kelly Gold, CFO of CAMP4 Therapeutics, about antisense oligonucleotides (or ASOs) - medicines designed to selectively restore natural protein production in diseases caused by gene under expression. Gold discusses the space and CAMP4’s CMP-002 study, targeting the regRNA associated SYNGAP1 gene. You can listen to episode 269 of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it – and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean, and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from.

The M&A market has been rebounding in the US, driven by factors like patent cliffs and improved balance sheets – but the question is whether this will play out in Europe and how the wave could differ. In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh speaks with Andrea Carta Mantiglia, partner and lead of the Healthcare & Life Sciences Focus Team at Italian law firm BonelliErede, about whether the current US biotech M&A surge will indeed extend into Europe. The conversation touches upon the appetite for cross-border dealmaking, the growing role of private equity in European pharma and medtech, generational exits among family-owned pharma groups in Italy, and the role of digitalisation in all this. You can listen to episode 268 of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it – and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean , and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from.

Purespring Therapeutics is a precision nephrology company pioneering first-in-class, targeted genetic therapies designed to preserve kidney function. In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh speaks with Haseeb Ahmad, CEO of Purespring, who discusses transforming the treatment of kidney disease, an area of enormous unmet need, with more than 840 million people worldwide living with chronic kidney disease. Indeed, Purespring’s lead programme is the podocyte-targeted gene therapy PS-002, which is for IgA nephropathy (or IgAN). The conversation also touches upon the evolution of the gene therapy landscape more generally, and where next with this type of innovation in the nephrology space. You can listen to episode 267 of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it – and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean , and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from.

Europe's biotech sector is facing an innovation cliff, with fewer clinical starts, tighter capital, and increasing development complexity. In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh caught up with Paul Bridges, president, consulting, at Parexel, and Charlotte Moser, Parexel’s chief medical officer, following BIO-Europe Spring in Lisbon, Portugal. The conversation touches upon regulatory strategy and evolving policy shifts, trial design and execution – and the importance of patient centricity – as well as AI in drug development and medical leadership in drug development today. You can listen to episode 266 of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it – and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean , and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from.

Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (or CTCL) is a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that begins in T lymphocytes, a kind of white blood cell that plays a crucial role in the immune system. And Citius Oncology is focused on developing and commercialising a targeted immune therapy for the initial indication of the treatment of persistent or recurrent CTCL. In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh spoke with Leonard Mazur, CEO and Chairman of Citius Pharmaceuticals about the launch of its first FDA-approved drug, Lymphir, for CTCL. Mazur discusses the landscape of unmet need in this space, as well as Citius’ advancement of clinical trials in other areas without approved treatments and the future horizon for such oncological innovations. You can listen to episode 265 of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it – and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean , and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from.

The radiopharmaceutical sector is in the midst of a transformative year in 2026, with significant developments and challenges, including policy and reimbursement, increasing demand and growth within precision oncology and molecular imaging, and the need for specialised CDMOs when it comes to the intricate nature of radiopharmaceutical manufacturing. In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh speaks with Dr Andrew Cavey, CEO of ITM, about current and future radiopharmaceutical trends. Dr Cavey discusses the evolution of radiopharma, beyond the original “two pillars” of GEP-NETs and PSMA, including the move towards a multi-isotope model, as well as ITM’s pipeline and the potential growth of the broader radiopharma ecosystem going forward. You can listen to episode 263 of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it – and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean , and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from.

2026 is the year of a major wave of pharmaceutical patent expirations, with numerous blockbuster drugs – spanning diabetes, immunology, cardiovascular, oncology, and other therapeutic areas – on the verge of losing market exclusivity. In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh speaks with Rebecca Guntern, chief commercial officer at Sandoz, for a conversation on the ‘golden decade’ for generics and biosimilars as so many blockbuster drugs come off patent. Guntern discusses why the current wave of blockbuster biologics losing exclusivity is so significant for patient access and healthcare budgets, and the conversation also touches upon policy and regulatory changes still needed in order to unlock the full potential of biosimilars, as well as what should be expected from the next generation of biosimilars. You can listen to episode 263 of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it – and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean , and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from.

In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh spoke with Lee-Ann Farrell, Head of National Programmes at Johnson & Johnson, about what delivery will look like in practice when it comes to the National Cancer Plan, the 10-Year Health Plan, and the Life Sciences Sector Plan. The conversation ranges what comes next following the clear policy direction of the Plans, including how the system can move from ambition to implementation, particularly in ensuring innovation is adopted consistently and at pace across cancer care. Farrell discusses the role of innovative medicines within evolving care pathways – as ambitions grow around earlier diagnosis, improved outcomes, and care closer to home – as well the dual role of innovative medicines, both as drivers of better patient outcomes and as contributors to economic growth and system sustainability. You can listen to episode 262 to go here of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it – and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean , and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from.

In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh speaks with Kris Kaneta, chief product officer at Norstella, which is helping life sciences companies speed up development with instant strategy recommendations. Kaneta discusses AI in drug trials and commercialisation and just what’s possible when clinical AI has access to a data set robust enough to allow it to make real strategic recommendations. Kaneta also touches upon why patient-level data is pharma's most important asset in the AI race and the roadblocks that stand in the way of further expanding the efficacy of AI for clinical trials. You can listen to episode 261 to go here of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it – and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean , and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from.

In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh speaks with Dr Ramy Younes, Corporate Vice President, Global Head of Clinical Development, CardioRenalMetabolism, at Boehringer Ingelheim. The conversation explores the crisis beyond obesity that many clinicians and health systems are now grappling with: that obesity can’t be treated as a short-term, weight-loss lifestyle issue. Rather, it needs to be managed as a complex, chronic, multi-organ disease. Younes discusses how liver disease is often missed in cardiometabolic risk and is referred to as the ‘liver blind spot’, as well as what integrated pathways can do to improve outcomes and ease system pressure.

In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh sat down with Dr Cedrik Britten, chief medical officer at Immatics, to discuss novel PRAME-directed T-cell immunotherapies. Targeting PRAME unlocks new treatment options for a broad patient population with significant unmet medical need. And to do so safely and effectively requires deep expertise in immunology, drug development, and beyond. Britten explains how finding the right cancer target is only half the equation – the other half is creating the key that fits the lock to that cancer. So it is that, in addition to discovery of tumour-specific targets like PRAME, Immatics designs either engineered T-cell receptors (or TCRs) or bispecific molecules that recognise and bind to those targets. Britten also shares his dreams for the future of the field; his hopes far into the distant horizon. You can listen to episode 259 of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it – and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean , and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from.

Longevity and healthspan have emerged rapidly as an increasingly serious category of healthcare study and investment. But there are a lot of ideas inside the industry and out about exactly what the goal is. Is it about extending lifespans as much as possible? Are we trying to live forever? Or do we just want to experience less physical and cognitive decline as we age? In today’s episode of the pharmaphorum podcast, host Jonah Comstock speaks with Boyang Wang, the founder of Immortal Dragons, a $40 million Singapore-based fund focusing exclusively on moonshot longevity innovations. In a broad-ranging conversation, they talk about popular misconceptions about the longevity space and why it’s something that everyone should care about. They talk a bit about specific areas of investment for Immortal Dragons like organ synthesis and gene therapy. And they try to look ahead into the future of a space which is all about getting us to that future alive and well.

Today, the life sciences sector is prioritising recruitment of leaders who can scale efficiently in capital-constrained environments, as well as focusing on hybrid operator-strategists who can integrate AI into R&D, clinical, and commercial workflows. In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh spoke with John Holodnak, co-founder of Occam, about how AI is beginning to reshape career paths across life sciences. Holodnak discusses AI’s transformation of functional roles in life sciences, such as regulatory, market access, and business development, and explores the breakdown of linear career paths and way ahead for biotech and pharma professionals tomorrow. You can listen to episode 257 of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it – and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean , and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from.

Pharma and tech companies are working more closely together than ever. As proven by the news of Merck and NVidia’s new partnership, for example. But while the idea of using AI for drug discovery has been around for a while now, patient access has an awfully long way to catch up to the promise of these new therapies. In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh speaks with Dean Erhardt, founder of D2 Solutions, an end-to-end strategic partner delivering industry-leading consulting and purpose-built technologies to pharma manufacturers, hospitals, pharmacies, payers & PBMs. The conversation focuses on the disconnect between distributions, reimbursements, and patient services, particularly when it comes to speciality medicines, as well as patient access today versus the state of patient access tomorrow, and the benefit or otherwise of price protection guarantees with PBMs, when it comes to new therapies. You can listen to episode 256 of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it – and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean , and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from.