Business Of Biotech

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While the trend toward CB1 inhibition for obesity took a small hit with the release of Novo Nordisk's small molecule oral cannabinoid receptor (CB1) inverse agonist monlunabant last month, Skye Bioscience Chairman and CEO Punit Dhillon is shaking it off. He's confident that his company's antibody-based approach to CB1 inhibition will make a moot point of the neuropsychiatric side effects that put a damper on Novo's data. On this episode of the Business of Biotech, we're digging into the uber-hot business of weight loss therapeutics and going deep with Dhillon on why Skye's blood/brain barrier-obeying antibody might turn the GLP-1 and small molecule approaches to obesity on their ears. Over the course of the conversation, we explore the ins-and-outs of the business of metabolic health, a space that's churning out one blockbuster after another.

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When we last caught up with Brian Culley, CEO at Lineage Cell Therapeutics, it was January, 2021. A pandemic was raging. His company was moving mountains to keep its OpRegen dry AMD clinical trial together, and did so despite lockdowns that kept a largely aged patient population from setting foot anywhere near a healthcare clinic. Lineage emerged stronger, signing a collaboration and license agreement with Roche and Genentech later that year. In May of this year, it doubled down on the commitment with a new services agreement with Genentech to support the OpRegen program. All this, while simultaneously progressing its OPC1 spinal cord injury program into Phase 2 and laying the clinical groundwork for programs in hearing loss, vision loss, and neurologic indications. On his long-overdue return to the Business of Biotech, Culley opens up on how the company addressed struggling programs, wrestled manufacturing control issues and delivery inefficiencies in its spinal cord program to the ground, and maintained control of its regulatory progress along the way.

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In August of this year, the first TCR cell therapy to be approved for use in the U.S. was greenlighted by the FDA for patients with unresectable or metastatic synovial sarcoma who have previously received chemotherapy. It marked the first new treatment for those patients in more than a decade; a win for those patients, and a win for Adrian Rawcliffe, who’s had a hand on the wheel at Adaptimmune, the therapy’s developer and manufacturer, since he joined the company as CFO in 2015. Today, Rawcliffe is CEO there, and on this episode of the Business of Biotech, we’re going to get to know him, why he’s all-in on cell therapies, and how he’s applying a solid track record in finance and business development to make good on the promise they offer.

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Shortly after Thalidomide became a household word—albeit a very, very bad one—a biotech investor bought it for a couple hundred grand. Who on earth would want a drug pulled from the market for causing birth defects? Steve Gorlin did.
Today, Thalidomide is the foundation of cancer drugs worth billions of dollars. Gorlin doesnt own it anymore, but the story of how he got it is just one of the experiences that contributed to the codification of his "golden rules." Following those rules has paid off. SIx of the companies he's founded acieved valuations, or sold, for more than $1 billion each. This week, the Business of Biotech sits down with the legendary biotech investor Steve Gorlin, now CEO of CoRegen, for a conversation on his golden rules for picking winners.
Gear up for an action-packed, LIVE, and INTERACTIVE Business of Biotech as we delve into the nitty-gritty of IP and legal considerations crucial for budding biotech entities. Get your queries resolved straight from a seasoned professional, minus the lawyer's fees! YOU HAVE TO REGISTER FOR THIS ONE (no cost), so head to tinyurl.com/boblive23, or secure your spot for Business of Biotech Live! Legal & IP Protection For New Biotechs here. Join us on Monday, November 13th, at 11 am Eastern. You don't want to miss this!

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It might just be coincidence, but it sure seems like Bill Enright has a knack for making big moves at inopportune times, then turning the expected outcome on its ear. For example, he signed on as CEO at Altimmune when the company was struggling mightily. Enright had a turnaround plan in hand, but as he was in the thick of a non-deal road show to execute said plan, Lehmen Brothers collapsed. On this episode of the Business of Biotech, we'll learn in great detail how Altimmune escaped that death knell. Later, he joined his current company, Barinthus Biotherapeutics, mere months before the Covid pandemic. That was shaky for a hot minute, but it turned out fortuitous when, against his better judgment, he enabled a pivot that became foundational to the company's go-forward plan. We'll learn how he flipped the script on that crisis, too. Tune in for these, and other harrowing tales from the trenches.

Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Listen & Watch tab at bioprocessonline.com.

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Find Matt Pillar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewpillar/