Xtalks Life Science Podcast

This episode features an interview with Dr. Courtney Silverthorn who is an Associate Vice President at the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) and the Director of the Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP) program including the Bespoke Gene Therapy Consortium.  The FNIH recently announced that the AMP Bespoke Gene Therapy Consortium has selected eight rare diseases for its cl...

In this episode, Vera interviews Carm Huntress, CEO and Founder of Credo Health, about the challenges that the US healthcare industry is facing today with medical record management. Carm discusses why medical records should be digitized and the improvements needed for the retrieval and analysis of digital medical records. Vera and Carm also discussed how Credo Health’s new AI platform for medical...

In this episode, Ayesha talked about the FDA approval of the first topical gene therapy for the treatment of a rare skin condition. Krystal Biotech’s Vyjuvek is a topical gene therapy that has been approved for the treatment of wounds in patients with the rare, often debilitating skin disease dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB). It’s the first treatment for the rare disease. Hear more about DEB...

In this episode, Vera talked about the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of Veozah (fezolinetant), the new type of drug for menopausal hot flashes and night sweats. It is estimated that around 60 to 80 percent of women experience vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats, etc.) during or after the menopausal transition. Importantly, vasomotor symptoms can have a substantial impa...

In this episode, Sarah interviews Dr. Gillian Woollett, VP, Head of Regulatory Strategy and Policy at Samsung Bioepis, about the challenges of bring biosimilars to market. Dr. Woollett clears up some common misconceptions about achieving interchangeable status and addresses the issues with differences in global regulatory standards for biologics medicines.  Sarah and Dr. Woollett also discuss Sams...

In this episode, Ayesha talked about the FDA approval of the world’s first vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The vaccine is approved for adults 60 years of age and older. RSV is a respiratory virus that causes mild to moderate cold and flu-like symptoms, but it can cause complications like lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) and pneumonia in older adults and young children. Read mo...

In this episode, Vera talked about how a couple of direct-to-consumer TV commercials have helped a medical device company, Axonics, establish its reputation in the non-drug incontinence therapy space. Around 87 million adults in the US and Europe have overactive bladder and it is estimated that an additional 40 million adults have fecal incontinence. Axonics offers innovative sacral neuromodulatio...

This episode features an interview with Cody Simmons, CEO of DermaSensor , a health technology company that aims to launch the world’s first point-and-click skin cancer detection tool for primary care providers. The skin cancer evaluation tool, also called DermaSensor*, is a point-and-click device that can provide health care practitioners with a skin evaluation in seconds.  As a bioengineer and e...

In this episode, Ayesha talked about new rules that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA is proposing for curbing ethylene oxide emissions from sterilization facilities. The agency says the new guidelines would help reduce emissions by 80 percent, which is particularly important for communities that live near sterilization plants and workers who work at them. Ethylene oxide is a known carci...

This episode features an interview with Wei-Li Shao, President of Omada Health. Omada Health is a provider of virtual care solutions focused on common chronic conditions, including both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, hypertension and musculoskeletal. As a virtual-first chronic care provider, the company helps members make lasting changes to improve health and reduce care costs for organizations. Wei-...

In this episode, Xtalks’ senior editorial staff discuss how the pharmaceutical industry has changed – and stayed the same – in the last 2 decades. Sarah talks about the global value of the pharmaceutical industry in 2002 versus today and which companies made the top 3 based on revenue. Sarah also shared the top-selling drugs in 2002, 2012 and 2022, and how much the industry as a whole has invested...

This episode features an interview with Manu Garg, VP, Head of Healthcare Consulting at Definitive Healthcare. Sarah and Manu discussed the transformative role of healthcare commercial intelligence in the industry today, and how machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) are changing care delivery for patients.  As new drug development is increasingly focused on targeted therapies for...

This episode features an interview with Howard Look, CEO and co-founder of Tidepool, a non-profit organization that has a range of software tools for people with diabetes and the clinics that serve them.  Tidepool recently received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance of Tidepool Loop, an automated insulin dosing app meant for the management of type 1 diabetes in patients who are six ye...

This episode features an interview with Diarmuid Flavin, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Neuromod, a Dublin-based medical device company specializing in the treatment of tinnitus, a condition known as “ringing in the ears.” Tinnitus is believed to impact between 10 to 15 percent of adults worldwide. The company recently received De Novo approval from the FDA for its tinnitus treatment Lenire. Len...

In this episode, Ayesha talked about the FDA approval of Apellis Pharmaceuticals’ Syfovre (pegcetacoplan injection) for the treatment of geographic atrophy, a leading cause of blindness. The condition is an advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) for which there have been no treatment options up until this recent approval. Hear more about the drug, including some questions abou...

In this week’s Xtalks Life Science podcast episode, Sarah spoke with Doug Biehn, Chief Commercial Officer at Cala Health , a bioelectronic medicine company that develops wearable neuromodulation therapies. The company’s lead product, Cala Trio , was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2018 for transient relief of hand tremors in adults with essential tremor (ET). Tune into the...

In this episode, Ayesha talked about the FDA clearance of a new at-home sleep apnea test developed by Belgium-based scale-up Sunrise. The wireless, AI-powered device is placed on a user’s chin, making it non-invasive and easy to use. The test has been clinically validated against traditional polysomnography testing and can help provide an accurate sleep apnea diagnosis. Hear more about the device...

In this week’s Xtalks Life Science podcast episode, Ayesha and the editorial team spoke with Dr. Bastiaan Driehuys, Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Polarean Imaging.  Polarean is a medical imaging company focused on improving the state of lung imaging. The company recently received FDA approval for its drug device combination product, Xenoview. Xenoview is a hyperpolarized contrast agent,...

In this episode, Ayesha talked about the launch of Amgen’s Amjevita, the first Humira biosimilar to hit the market. Amjevita received FDA approval in 2016 and after a legal settlement with Humira maker AbbVie, has finally reached market launch. AbbVie has been embroiled in legal battles over accusations of overpatenting and price hiking to block Humira biosimilar competition. Hear more about Amjev...

In this episode, Ayesha talked about Amazon Pharmacy’s new RxPass subscription prescription drug program called RxPass through which Amazon Prime members can purchase generic medications for a flat fee of $5 a month. The program is part of Amazon’s continuing expansion of its healthcare portfolio. Hear more about the program and how it aims to increase accessibility and affordability for customers...

In this week’s Xtalks Life Science podcast episode, Ayesha and the editorial team spoke with Susan Benton, Country Manager at Thea Pharma, an eye care company that focuses on developing innovative eye care treatments to help further the future of ophthalmic treatment. Thea Pharma recently won FDA approval for its latest eye care product Iyuzeh for the reduction of elevated intraocular pressure in...

In this week’s episode, Ayesha discussed the new Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, also known as Kraken, which is rapidly circulating in parts of the US. It is the most transmissible variant yet and is highly immune evasive. COVID-19 cases have been on the rise in the country, including significant increases in hospitalizations and deaths. While XBB.1.5 has been found in dozens of other countries now, c...

In this week’s Xtalks Life Science podcast episode, Ayesha and the editorial team spoke with Dr. Monique Gary, or Dr. Mo, a breast surgical oncologist, researcher, advocate and expert on cancer and healthcare disparities. Dr. Mo is passionate about developing integrative, holistic and innovative approaches to cancer treatment, prevention and survivorship both locally and throughout the world. She...

In this episode, Ayesha talked about some of the trends to look out for in the life sciences in 2023. With a handful of significant gene therapy approvals in 2022, the cell and gene therapy space continues to rapidly expand, and hence we can expect more ground-breaking gene therapy approvals in the coming year, particularly for rare diseases. As our world becomes increasingly digitized, this inclu...

In this week’s Xtalks Life Science podcast episode, Ayesha and the team spoke with the co-founders and co-CEOs of Amylyx, Joshua Cohen and Justin Klee, and Amylyx’s General Manager of Canada Chris Aiello. Amylyx is a pharmaceutical company focused on the development of therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. On September 29th this year, Amylyx received FDA approval for its oral, fixed dose medic...