Thomas Stratford

Want to know the path to the CEO position of a large pharma company? Internal succession is the most prevalent route. Following Robert Michael's appointment as Abbvie's new CEO on July 1st, I analysed the pharma sector. It seems succession plans are delivering. Below is a sample from the top 10 pharma (by R&D). Invite your comments about succession effectiveness and relative performance. Merck & Co.: Robert M. Davis became CEO in July 2021. He joined Merck in 2014, previously serving as President, EVP Global Services, and CFO. His appointment indicates internal succession​​. Roche: Thomas Schinecker took over as CEO in March 2023. He has been with Roche since 2003, serving in successive leadership roles within the diagnostics business before becoming CEO. His appointment clearly signifies internal succession​​. Johnson & Johnson: Joaquin Duato became CEO in January 2022, succeeding Alex Gorsky. He has been with J&J since 1989, serving in many roles and with different business units. Duato is another case of internal succession​​. Novartis: Vasant Narasimhan has been CEO since February 2018. He joined Novartis in 2005, serving previously as Global Head of Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer before his CEO appointment, indicating internal succession​​. AstraZeneca: Pascal Soriot has been CEO since October 2012, after joining the company in 2012 from Roche. Pascal Soriot can be considered external appointment since he had not worked at AstraZeneca prior to his appointment​​. Pfizer: Albert Bourla became CEO in January 2019. He joined Pfizer in 1993, serving the company for more than 30 years in multiple roles, most recently as Chief Operating Officer before becoming CEO. Bourla’s appointment is considered as internal succession​​. Eli Lilly: David A. Ricks has been CEO since January 2017. Prior to his appointment to the CEO post, he served as President of Lilly Bio-Medicines. He joined Eli Lilly in 1996, representing an internal succession appointment​​. Bristol-Myers Squibb: Chris Boerner became CEO in December 2023, succeeding Giovanni Caforio. He joined the company in 2015, most recently serving as EVP and COO, but previously as EVP and CCO. Boerner’s appointment is considered an internal success appointment. AbbVie: Robert Michael, Abbvie’s recently appointed CEO – July 1st 2024. He was previously appointed vice chairman and president in 2022, vice chairman, finance and commercial operations in 2021 and chief financial officer in 2018. He succeeds Richard Gonzalez who has been CEO since AbbVie’s inception in 2013, having worked at Abbott Laboratories (from which AbbVie was spun off) since 1977, suggesting internal succession within the broader organisation.​ ​ Sanofi: Paul Hudson became CEO in September 2019, having joined Sanofi in 2019 from Novartis, where he served as CEO of Novartis Pharmaceuticals from 2016 to 2019. This represents an external appointment​​. #pharmaceutical #CEO #succession

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The latest news from ACURX Pharma on New to the Street: https://lnkd.in/e4iXg3hD Acurx Pharmaceuticals is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing a new class of small molecule antibiotics for difficult-to-treat bacterial infections. The Company's approach is to develop antibiotic candidates with a Gram-positive selective spectrum (GPSS®) that blocks the active site of the Gram+ specific bacterial enzyme DNA polymerase IIIC (pol IIIC), inhibiting DNA replication and leading to Gram-positive bacterial cell death. Its R&D pipeline includes antibiotic product candidates that target Gram-positive bacteria, including Clostridioides difficile, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin resistant Enterococcus (VRE) and drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (DRSP). #acurxpharma #acxp #nasdaq 

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Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals PLC (LSE:HEMO, OTC:HOPHF), the UK-based biotechnology firm, has secured £340,000 through a placing of 100,000 new shares at 340p each. The investment round was underwritten by a single institutional investor, who also received 50,000 warrants exercisable at 500p per share, valid for 12 months from March 1. The company stated that proceeds from the placing will be directed towards advancing clinical trials of its lead therapy, HG-CT-1, which targets relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) in adults. Hemogenyx noted that recruitment for the trial is underway, with the first patient undergoing eligibility screening. https://lnkd.in/e2UbdKVm

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Large and midsize pharma are reassessing their outsourcing requirements and customising new models to navigate the complex development landscape. Tony Southers, ICON’s Head of Strategic Solutions, discusses the industry’s move towards blended sourcing models to capitalise on the advantages of both FSP and FSO. Learn how to realise the benefits of blended models in our article: https://ow.ly/X6Ca50THHsO

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Large and midsize pharma are reassessing their outsourcing requirements and customising new models to navigate the complex development landscape. Tony Southers, ICON’s Head of Strategic Solutions, discusses the industry’s move towards blended sourcing models to capitalise on the advantages of both FSP and FSO. Learn how to realise the benefits of blended models in our article: https://ow.ly/X6Ca50THHsO

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New report from London Economics - https://lnkd.in/eG6tmMaZ - highlights how the reduction in R&D tax relief for SMEs, coupled with increased relief for larger companies, risks stifling innovation in sectors where smaller firms play a crucial role. The report calls for a more nuanced, sector-specific approach to evaluating and implementing R&D tax relief which aligns with the need for fundamental changes to better support UK SMEs and foster genuine innovation across all sectors.

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There is an absolute, pressing need to reduce the prices of advanced therapies, especially gene therapies If you believe the cost-benefit analyses out there (which I pretty much do), current prices can make sense - but only in the long term. For example, keeping to round numbers, lifetime Hemophilia A healthcare costs are ~$20 million, life expectancy of those afflicted is ~70 years, so Roctavian at ~$2 million (probable price w/discounts etc.) only has to work for ~7 years to break even. It probably will work for at least that long and also provides material QOL benefits which often come with further health cost savings, like markedly reduced ER visits for bleeding events But also significant is the short-term impact of these prices on payers: having to write such multi-million dollar checks is a cash-flow problem more than a cash problem, but a problem nonetheless. As Bloomberg News’s excellent Gerry Smith writes below, the immediate economic impact of such claims (‘lightning strikes’ as he terms them) on smaller insurers is real. It’s societally disturbing, but hard to blame them for trying to avoid these lightning strikes by excluding such therapies in the fine print However, it’s equally unfair just to expect biopharma to reduce prices, as even at current levels this would land most far from break-even on development and manufacturing costs. The industry needs to show decent margins to justify further investment in advanced therapies. But if we can’t afford even ultra/rare treatments, forget about advanced therapies for more common conditions As I see it there are only a few options: * Reduce COGS (a partial solution) * Amortization and/or performance-based installment pricing. I think these could be offered by biopharma or even governmentally forced upon them, perhaps in return for longer exclusivity * I’m open to suggestions (read the article first though!)…

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Allogeneic CAR-T therapy drives autoimmune diseases into remission: Early reports suggest that chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T therapy has remarkable potential for treating autoimmune disease. Current approaches rely on autologous CAR-T cells, creating a bottleneck to the broad deployment of this therapy.  A recent publication in Cell reports the first use of allogeneic CAR-T cells in three patients with systemic autoimmune disease. This off-the-shelf cell product (TyU19) was manufactured by isolating T cells from a healthy donor’s peripheral blood mononuclear cells, transducing the T cells with a second-generation CD19 CAR, and then using CRISPR-Cas9 to target TRAC, HLA-A, HLA-B, CIITA, and PD-1 to reduce the risk of immune rejection and graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). These cells were then banked and infused into one patient with immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy and two patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis. In all three patients, CAR-T cells engrafted and expanded, coinciding with a complete depletion of circulating B cells for at least 2 months. Impressively, all three patients showed significant clinical improvement via respective clinical indexes, molecular markers, and radiographic measures. Remarkably, fibrosis in the lungs and hearts of some patients showed improvement. Although follow-up has only been extended to 6 months, these patients have remained in remission. This scientific discovery holds great potential for future treatment of autoimmune diseases. Original publication: https://lnkd.in/ejPsikBa Further reading: https://lnkd.in/e9DssDqa https://lnkd.in/e2zB33zN https://lnkd.in/eH2aY-XG https://lnkd.in/egSa6gCH https://lnkd.in/eKKdWAWg https://lnkd.in/eFA4mcpN

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Our new episode it out discussing a very important issue - information clinical trials participants of their genetic testing results. Many companies opt-out and decide not to do it but is that always the best decision? You can learn more in the latest episode. #clinicaltrials #alzheimer

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"Cell and Gene Therapies are revolutionising the field of life sciences, providing new and exciting treatment possibilities for patients, particularly with rare and previously untreatable diseases". However, with an increasing number of IP licensing deals being negotiated in this growing field, there are some issues to consider. In the latest edition of Wolters Kluwer's The Licensing Journal, Claire Smith, Ellen Lambrix and Louisa Jacobs provided valuable insight into some of the key considerations when drafting, and negotiating, these agreements. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eF4-d6MA #Cell #Gene #LicenceAgreements

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Here’s an interesting publication detailing how trial efficiency can reshape early-stage development in #biotech... In Phase I studies, every decision affects the development pathway, making trial design and timing critical. By introducing flexibility into these early phases, clinical teams can meet complex study demands without compromising on speed or quality—a balance essential in today’s fast-paced therapeutic field. With streamlined processes, from recruitment through data collection, biotech R&D professionals can better allocate resources, achieve reliable results, and move confidently toward later stages of development. #BiotechR&D #BioTech #BioPharm #EarlyStageDevelopment #ClinicalTrials #TrialEfficiency #DrugDevelopment

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Our recent industry meeting inspired me to share my experience with the clinical trials budget and contract process. As always I try to provide some recommendations on how we can improve the process. At the end of the day our patients will be the winners if we can set up clinical trials much quicker. It is always good to have that in mind! #clinicaltrials #budget #contract #UK

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This was an enjoyable chat with Tim Roberts in which we discuss Intelligent OMICS Ltd work in bringing AI to bear on better understanding disease biology, how to make a business from science and innovation and the importance of meditation!

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We all like to talk what companies should do to have their product on the market but in this episode I would like to focus on what the regulatory agencies need to know about small pharma and biotech companies and how they can support them. Developing new pharmaceuticals is a collaborative project between the companies, the investors, the regulators, the physicians and the patients. It is time to change the way we see drug development as a responsibility to the pharma and biotech companies only. #drugdevelopment #startups #pharmaceuticals

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Discover how the pharma R&D climate is changing, which parts of the industry are likely to be basking in sunshine, and which may be preparing for unsettled conditions. Our experts Ian Lloyd and Alexandra Shimmings take the industry’s temperature in our live webinar (May 21st). Reserve your place today: https://ow.ly/hvsA50RFZON. #PharmaIndustry #BiotechTrends #MedicalResearch #HealthcareWebinar #PharmaEvent

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📢 How can the pharma industry build trust in an age of misinformation? That’s the big question Chris Bath and Joe Balfour discussed with Jill Pearcy from The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI). The ABPI has been tracking opinions about the pharmaceutical industry in the past three years, after it was propelled into the spotlight during the pandemic. Yet while familiarity and trust grew, so did misinformation… Check out our latest Re_Frame the Future to hear more about how the industry can continue to meet the challenges around misinformation 🎬 https://lnkd.in/e6nVBczi #HealthMisinformation #WhereAbilityMeetsAgility

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Again another insightful piece on the transformation of the Pharma oncology business model . However I think this is a missed opportunity to mention the significant dependency this future $400bn market has on precision testing . Our own estimates suggest that up to 40% of the revenue of precision treatments are enabled by the relevant diagnostic pathways underpinning the precise treatment choice. The top 10 Pharma companies alone we determine to be spending 5% of R&D budgets on biomarker development and an undisclosed amount on diagnostic commercialization. Every therapy team lead confronted with the need to co launch a diagnostic and a drug will relay to you the complexity of aligning two very different diffusion models. Simply put, diagnostic diffusion is far slower than therapy diffusion. Consequently  it is proven that up to 60% of patients are still not accessing precision medicine therapies due to the slower adoption within the diagnostic pathway . This is not an R&D problem but it is a commercialization – market efficiency one. Recently the broader precision medicine community have shone a spotlight on  the primary issues  delaying precision diagnostic adoption , they include physician awareness of testing options, test reimbursement complexities and patient sample management. This spotlight is a good start. However it will be helpful to be more transparent not just about the future economics of cancer treatment, but the economics of cancer testing ,since the two are totally interdependent. Understanding and then right sizing the investment  in efficient diagnostic pathways will enable more patients to access life altering treatments implying that the forecasts in this article totally underestimate the market value in oncology or we need a greater focus on testing within value based care.

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IPO ALERT 🚨 (Rapport Therapeutics & Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited) Johnson & Johnson backed Rapport Therapeutics have decided to file for an Initial Public Offering last week to raise funds for its CNS system-targeting small molecule clinical trials, while radiopharmaceuticals developer Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited also informed the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission of its plans to go public on the Nasdaq.🎯 Rapport Therapeutics will be the third neuroscience-focused biotech to go public in 2024. Contineum Therapeutics raised $110 Million with its IPO in April & Alto Neuroscience's initial offering brought in $129 Million in February. 🧠 Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited, the Australia-based radiopharma company filed for its IPO, leaving the dollar amount details blank for now. It already has a product on the market. Telix’s prostate cancer PET scan agent Illuccix targets the PSMA protein on cancer cells throughout the body, potentially detecting tumors more accurately. 👏 #Elixir #Nasdaq #IPO #CNS #Oncology #Cancer #TelixPharma #Neurology #Biotech #DrugDevelopment #InitialPublicOffering

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