Who — and what — is a life science leader in 2025? In the first month of my tenure as host of the Business of Biotech, it’s clearer to me than ever that leading in life sciences requires a constellation of expertise: strong leaders in drug development, in finance and operations, in policy and commercialization, and elsewhere. A broadening set of calculations is needed, to take and manage the risks required to succeed.
The financial piece — funding and sustaining the growth and progression of a drug development operation — weighs heavily right now, amid an uncertain geopolitical landscape and the related demand for shorter timelines and alternative funding models from investors. In episode 248, investment banker David Sans provides a crucial perspective on challenges and opportunities facing the life sciences sector this year, and Business of Biotech stalwart Allan Shaw (episode 250) details the implications of explosive growth in China’s biotech sector, plus his own first-person impressions based on a recent visit to China. Let a hundred flowers bloom.
Sara Bonstein provided frank and candid insights into the role of a biotech CFO in episode 249, and the difficult tradeoffs and decisions involved in building a sustainable operation. In episode 251, Brian Lortie leaned on past and present experiences in both Big Pharma and biotech startups, cutting through platitudes about team building to deliver the straight dope: no jerks allowed.
In the coming weeks and months, I’ll continue to bring in life science leaders from an expanding variety of positions and perspectives, across drug modalities, business functions, and party lines. As always, thanks for listening, and send me your compliments and criticisms, especially the latter. If you’re planning to be at BIO in Boston and would like to chat in person, get in touch and let me know.
For now, check out hand-selected April editorial from Life Science Leader, and a few stand-out quotes from the April episodes of the Business of Biotech. Enjoy, and happy summer!
Ben Comer, Business of Biotech host and chief editor, Life Science Leader |
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| | ![]() | | by BEN COMER | Sometimes you have to unlearn the past to get to the future, since what got you here might not get you there, explains Ian Thompson, Amgen’s SVP and general manager of U.S. business operations. On the Trump administration’s push to bring manufacturing back to the U.S., Amgen is “a little bit ahead of the game,” said Thompson. | READ NOW → |
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![]() | | by SHETAL VYAS | Underscoring the point made above about the broadening set of perspectives needed to successfully lead in the life sciences industry, Shetal Vyas, SVP, commercial strategy and development at Ardelyx wrote about the importance of early input from the commercial team in evaluating potential deals and assets, before the BD team pulls the trigger. | READ NOW → |
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| ![]() | | by DENISE BRONNER, PH.D. | Have biopharmaceutical companies become too dependent on M&A to replenish their pipelines? That’s the question Denise Bronner, Ph.D. and Clinical Leader editorial advisory board member asks in this article, which presents the arguments both for and against the “search and development” model, which favors asset acquisition over in-house drug discovery. | READ NOW → |
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![]() | | by DAVID STOWE | How can the U.S. improve the biopharmaceutical supply chain so that shortages of essential medicines and other products aren’t so common and persistent? David Stowe, managing partner at Adventus writes that collaboration between industry, academia, regulators and politicians is key. The wildcard? Ongoing trade and tariff negotiations. | READ NOW → |
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| | "What people often find when they join a small team from a large pharma team is that there are very few places to hide, and I mean that literally. Everything is out in the light because we don't have layers and layers of management and bureaucracy." | ― Brian Lortie, President and CEO, Uniquity Bio, episode 251 |
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| "Five years ago, if you look at $50 million as your threshold cut off, about 5% of global deals originated out of China. Fast forward to this past year, it’s almost 30% of licensing deals originating out of China. That's really a significant, exponential growth." | ― Allan Shaw, Independent Board Member, CalciMedica, episode 250 |
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| "With external partners — whether it’s your banks, your investigators, your research advisory folks, your board members — make sure that everyone around you is not drinking the Kool-Aid, but is giving you their unfiltered guidance and advice." | ― Sara Bonstein, Chief Financial Officer, Insmed, episode 249 |
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| | Created exclusively for the leaders of new and emerging biopharma firms, the Business of Biotech podcast tackles organizational, funding, HR, regulatory, production and CMC considerations with insight from peer founders who have taken biologic therapies from an idea to clinical success. Check out our episode archive. The Business of Biotech is produced in partnership with Avantor. |
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