Cures & Capital

In this episode, we speak with Jan Lundberg – former President of Lilly Research Laboratories and Head of R&D at Eli Lilly and Company. With a career spanning academia, biotech, and big pharma, Jan has contributed to the development of more than 30 approved medicines, including Brilinta, Iressa, Nexium, Taltz, Trulicity, Verzenio, and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro). He also played a central role in on...

How do investors really value biotech? Former hedge fund investor and biotech analyst Hartaj Singh explains how Wall Street thinks about risk, biology, clinical trials, and uncertainty - and why biotech valuation is both art and formula. Hartaj Singh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hartaj-s-35614670/ Check out Hartaj's newsletter: The Biotech Capital Compass - https://hartajsingh1.su...

In this episode, we talk to Jeff Holder and Adam Siebert, Partners and Managing Directors at L.E.K. Consulting, about the rapidly evolving world of advanced drug modalities.  With years of experience advising clients across the life sciences industry, Jeff and Adam sit at the intersection of cutting-edge science and the real-world constraints of getting medicines to patients. Together, we unpack t...

In this episode of Cures & Capital, Dr. Sheila Gujrathi — biotech entrepreneur, investor, and former CEO of Gossamer Bio — shares her perspective on how to elevate female leaders and underrepresented voices in biopharma. She discusses lessons from her 25+ years leading companies and investments, and why inclusive leadership is key to innovation and value creation. We also dive into her book, T...

In this episode, we talk to Scott Berry, President and Senior Statistical Scientist at Berry Consultants - a pioneer in adaptive and Bayesian clinical trial design. With more than 25 years of experience designing trials for pharma, biotech, and government agencies, Scott has helped reshape how we think about learning in drug development. We explore what it really means to “learn as you go” in clin...

In this episode, we talk to Deborah Dunsire, board chair at Neurvati Neurosciences, multiple times board member, and a former CEO of Lundbeck. With more than 3 decades of experience, Deborah has navigated organizations of every size through change, uncertainty, and opportunity. We explore what it takes to lead in today’s biopharma landscape - from rolling up your sleeves in biotech to streamlining...

In this episode, we talk to Dr. Andrée Bates, founder and CEO of Eularis, a company helping clients accelerate pharma business results through Artificial Intelligence. We explore how the biopharma industry can move beyond scattered pilots toward strategic, enterprise-wide AI integration. Drawing on decades at the forefront of AI in pharma, Dr. Bates shares practical insights on building the founda...

How did China become a serious force in global biotech in just over a decade? This is the insider story of China's biotech boom! Dr. Leon 'Jun' Tang, founding partner of InScienceWeTrust BioAdvisory, joins Cures & Capital to unpack the rise of Chinese biopharma. From talent migration and government planning to innovation in ADCs and the challenges of commercialization. Chapters...

In this episode, we talk to Jason O’Neill, former CEO of Dendreon and Iridium Therapeutics, and author of The Secrets of Successful Drug Launches. This conversation is a practical guide to new drug launches, packed with Jason's hard-won insights. We explore why so many launches fail, the psychology behind adoption resistance, what meaningful relative advantage really means, how to plan for a...

In this episode, we talk to Jason O’Neill, former CEO of Dendreon and Iridium Therapeutics, and author of The Secrets of Successful Drug Launches. This conversation is a practical guide to new drug launches, packed with Jason's hard-won insights. We explore why so many launches fail, the psychology behind adoption resistance, what meaningful relative advantage really means, how to plan for a...

Over the past few months, we’ve had the chance to speak with some of the sharpest minds in the industry—thinkers and practitioners who have shaped how we understand drug innovation, R&D productivity, portfolio strategy, and other critical topics. In this episode, we bring together the major insights and lessons, highlighting patterns that emerged across the different conversations. We also spo...

In this episode, we talk to Aaron Schact, the CEO and Board Director at BiomEdit and former R&D leader at Eli Lilly and Elanco.  We discuss how to improve biopharma's R&D productivity and the industry's "grand challenge", why R&D productivity is the mental model for managing R&D at scale, practical advice on how to approach and work with R&D productivity, an...

In this episode, our guest is Dr. Matthias Krings - a senior partner at Catenion, a biopharma strategy consulting firm. Matthias is a seasoned veteran in biopharma strategy. In this conversation, he shares his playbook for achieving success as a biopharma company. As critical pillars for biopharma success, we dive into strategy processes, decision-making, and effective R&D risk management. If...

How do venture capitalists think? And how do they define and create value in the life science industry? In this episode, we talk to Stephan Christgau, founding partner of Eir Ventures, about the VC mindset, investment decision-making and portfolio strategy. We dive into how VCs assess risk, balance high-stakes opportunities, and what could pharma and biotech companies learn from the VC way of doin...

In this episode, we sit down with Murray Aitken, Executive Director of the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science, to discuss the trends shaping the life sciences industry in 2025 and beyond. How do we navigate the life sciences industry in times of great uncertainty? Murray has observed the life sciences industry for decades and lays out his balanced perspective of the state of the industry and t...

In this episode, Mike Rea - CEO, IDEA Pharma - takes us on a journey through innovation and value creation in pharma. It is not all roses! He shares his candid views on what the pharmaceutical industry needs to do better to be less confused about innovation. Mike Rea also explains the importance of getting the definition of innovation right in drug development. Early commercial involvement in drug...

In this episode, Kelvin Stott talks about why might be pharma's business model broken and how can it be fixed, the declining ROI on drug R&D, better R&D portfolio decision making, raising the bar in pharma/biotech innovation and more.  Kelvin Stott has over 20 years of diverse leadership experience in pharma R&D strategy and operations, drug discovery and development, portfolio ma...

In this episode, Dr. Jack Scannell delves into topics such as R&D productivity, decision-making, model validity, and more. If you're looking to deepen your understanding of these areas, there's no better guide than Jack. Jack brings a deep and holistic understanding of the biotech and pharma industry, having held a variety of roles—including being a neuroscientist, strategy consultan...

EPISODE 1 - Cures & Capital: Trailer Episode In this episode, we introduce the scope and mission of the podcast. Our focus with Cures & Capital is the intersection between drug R&D and finance.  Hosts: Martin Slezak & Simon Birksø. Disclaimer: This podcast and activities related to it are completely independent from our day jobs. All the views and opinions expressed through this ch...