Business of Biotech Shorts

  1. Ep. 260, Chapter 3: NewYorkBIO's Mission with Jennifer Hawks Bland 8/1/2025

    Bland says New YorkBIO’s diverse membership includes large pharmaceutical companies, startups, universities, and research institutions with a presence or interest in New York's life sciences landscape. The organization offers crucial advocacy in Albany, addressing policy choices that impact patient access and reimbursement. New YorkBIO provides monthly briefings, facilitates connections between members and policymakers, and translates complex scientific and policy information into understandable terms.

  2. Ep. 260, Chapter 2: Navigating Life Sciences Policy with Jennifer Hawks Bland 8/1/2025

    Advocating for Merck and GSK, Bland faced complex legislative issues, including patent reform and the development of federal track-and-trace legislation for therapeutics. The latter initiative aimed to standardize serialization requirements across the supply chain, as individual states like California were creating disparate regulations. Bland emphasized the monumental effort involved in drafting and passing novel federal legislation, which requires years of collaboration across the industry, highlighting the power of collective action within the life sciences sector.

  3. Ep. 260, Chapter 1: Jennifer Hawks Bland's Journey From Politics to Life Sciences Advocacy 8/1/2025

    Life Science Leader Chief Editor Ben Comer interviews Jennifer Hawkes Bland, CEO of NewYorkBIO, a New York State trade organization and advocate for life sciences companies and research institutions. Bland discusses her career path from working on Capitol Hill for Senator Thad Cochran to her current role, highlighting how her diverse experience in advocacy and policy prepared her to lead NewYorkBIO. Bland also talks about how her legal background honed her critical thinking and writing skills, essential for her work in government affairs and advocacy within the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

  4. Ep. 258, Chapter 6: How Strategic Procurement Drives Biotech Success with Tom Wells 7/30/2025

    Wells discusses the concept of "Payment Share" or "Bonus-Malice" in procurement, where suppliers' compensation is directly tied to outcomes, similar to value-based drug contracts. While acknowledging the strategy’s potential, he highlights the challenge in biotech due to numerous uncontrollable variables (e.g., competitor actions, supply chain issues, sales force performance) that can impact a drug's success beyond the supplier's direct influence.

  5. Ep. 258, Chapter 5: Procurement Pitfalls in Funding and Sourcing with Tom Wells 7/30/2025

    Wells emphasizes that poor procurement practices in early-stage biotech can significantly damage future fundraising efforts, as investors increasingly prioritize a company's operational efficiency and responsible use of funds. He states that a cutting-edge approach to sourcing involves a combination of "innovative innovation" and supplier diversity — moving beyond traditional RFPs to Requests for Outcome (RFOs).

  6. Ep. 258, Chapter 4: Procurement for Early Stage Biotechs with Tom Wells 7/30/2025

    Wells highlights two critical inflection points for biopharma companies: moving from pre-clinical to clinical stages, and then from clinical to commercial. The first transition demands acquiring a wide array of new resources—both scientific (CROs, lab space, reagents) and non-scientific (office space, HR services, legal counsel)—many of which are expensive, complex, and heavily regulated.

  7. Ep. 258, Chapter 3: Procurement Relationship Building with Tom Wells 7/30/2025

    Wells asserts that positioning your company as a "customer of choice" comes down to basic decency: treat suppliers with respect, understand their challenges, and focus on mutual benefit beyond mere cost. He explains that, while less sophisticated procurement prioritizes cost above all, a more effective approach in today's volatile world balances price with resilience and long-term value.

  8. Ep. 258, Chapter 2: Biotech Procurement Fundamentals with Tom Wells 7/30/2025

    Wells defines procurement as the "front end of demand flow," a strategic function that brings new ideas and suppliers into a business rather than just a back-end process. He explains that the basic principles of procurement are consistent across industries, but success in life sciences demands a deep understanding of the scientific and business objectives to truly identify and create value.

  9. Ep. 258, Chapter 1: Introduction To Tom Wells And 4C Associates 7/30/2025

    Life Science Leader Chief Editor Ben Comer introduces Tom Wells, Director of Life Sciences at 4C Associates, to discuss the critical role of procurement in biotech. Wells — who has experience at companies like Novartis, Takeda, and BMS — began his career in marketing before discovering procurement at Electrolux, where he helped reposition it as a strategic function.

  10. Ep. 257, Chapter 7: The Persistent Threat Of Infectious Disease With Thomas Levenson 7/28/2025

    The COVID-19 pandemic, despite its devastation, served as a "mild warning," Levenson states, reasoning that a disease with similar transmissibility but a higher mortality rate would be far more socially disruptive. Levenson praised the rapid scientific response to COVID-19—sequencing the genome in weeks and developing vaccines within months—as an "extraordinary triumph" of modern biology and industrial capacity.