The Syneos Health Podcast

Medical science liaisons—or MSLs—within pharmaceutical companies deal in a special currency: scientific exchange and real-world insights gathering. Only they can share certain types of information with a growing number of medical stakeholders. And only they can bring back medical insights to guide strategic development and brand decisions. Yet, can anyone be certain that this highly valuable curre...

AI is seemingly everywhere now in our lives, including healthcare and drug discovery and development. AI certainly has the potential to enable major advances than development of more effective and safe medical products. And in fact, GenAI has already been successfully used in drug discovery.  But are we fully leveraging the current AI yet in practical ways? Are our trial designs informed appropria...

The World Economic Forum projects that by 2050, climate change could cause 14 million additional deaths and $12 trillion in global healthcare costs. And this will exacerbate global health inequities with our most vulnerable populations, including women, youth, elderly, lower-income groups, and hard-to-reach communities bearing the brunt of this change. We think we know the culprits…but do we reall...

Alzheimer's disease is a challenging and devastating diagnosis that affects memory and cognitive skills, with no known way to predict, track, treat, or cure it effectively. In 2024, around 90 million people over the age of 65 will be living with Alzheimer's. Clinical trials for new treatments have faced high failure rates, partly because it's difficult to identify the right patients...

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women worldwide, and it can be treated with different modalities, such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, hormone therapy and targeted therapy. However, even after the primary treatment, some cancer cells may remain in the body and cause recurrence or metastasis. This is where adjuvant therapies come in: they are additional treatments that ai...

This is an exciting time in the development of new medicines to treat both rare and age-related eye diseases. But what is it like in the trenches to develop and deliver clinical trials that evaluate both the safety and efficacy of these potential new medicines for diseases of the eye? In this episode, Nick Kenny , Syneos Health CSO and interim podcast host, is joined by Eileen Schramm , Senior Cli...

In March 2024, the FDA approved a groundbreaking gene therapy for children with a specific form of leukodystrophy, offering hope to those with no current care options. However, the approval came with a hefty price tag, making headlines as the most expensive medicine in the world at $3,500,000 per patient. With the cost of innovation so high, what can we do to de-risk development, ensure affordabil...

After 7 years as the Syneos Health Podcast's founding and flagship host, Jeff Stewart is stepping down. Here, he reflects on his experience and bids farewell. It doesn't end here - stay tuned for new episodes with new host(s), coming soon! (Jeopardy! clip courtesy of Ken Jennings.) The views expressed in this podcast belong solely to the speakers and do not represent those of their organ...

Patient assistance programs can make a huge difference for patients who need expensive medicines but can't afford them.   In this episode, Jeff Stewart talks with Dave MacLeod , Managing Director, Value & Access at Syneos Health about the benefits and challenges of patient assistance programs, which provide free or low-cost medicines to eligible patients. They discuss how these programs c...

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law by President Joe Biden in August 2022, brings significant changes to the U.S. pharmaceutical market as it rolls out over the next 10 years. Today we dive deep into the IRA with Tiffany McCaslin , Managing Director, Value, Access and Health Outcomes at Syneos Health. Drawing from her extensive background in healthcare policy and industry strategy,...

For the first time, the technology behind Wall Street and Formula One racing is being used in pharmaceuticals—and it’s offering unparalleled potential for innovation in clinical trial execution and healthcare delivery. In this episode, host Jeff Stewart is joined by Darren Coleman , the general manager of RxDataScience, a Syneos Health company, who discusses KX technology, the world’s fastest time...

When it comes to launching a pharmaceutical product in today’s market—especially as an emerging company—strategic investment can make all the difference. Drawing from a recent study on investing for commercial success, Michael Sarshad , Managing Director in the Commercial Advisory Group at Syneos Health, discusses the key factors for successfully launching a drug in today's market; the import...

Age-related vision loss is a rising concern for our growing aging population. According to the most recent data published by the CDC, nearly 20 million Americans aged 40+ have been diagnosed with some form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). By the age of 75, roughly 1 in 3 people living in the United States will have some form of AMD, and about 1 in 4 of those will have a vision-threatenin...

The FDA has finalized a rule that addresses how drug ads must be presented in TV and radio commercials. The rule, proposed in 2010 and now effective from May of this year, aims to provide clarity and guidelines for pharmaceutical companies in presenting side effects and contraindications in a balanced manner. But it’s still a 27-page document. Here, we’ll boil it down for you. Matthew Snodgrass ,...

Nervousness and uncertainty surround the question of what Artificial Intelligence (AI) may mean for the future of work. How can we deploy AI transformation—thoughtfully—across an organization and help workforces see what the new models will signify and require of us? In the first episode in this series related to our 2024 Health Trends , host Jeff Stewart is joined by Celeste Mosby , Senior Vice P...

October is National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month, with October 10th specifically recognized as World Mental Health Day. A recent study co-led by Harvard Medical School and the University of Queensland established that one out of every two people in the world will develop a mental health disorder in their lifetime. This staggering number underscores the critical need to reduce the s...

Radiosensitizers have emerged as potential game-changers in head and neck cancer therapy. A diverse group of compounds, radiosensitizers enhance radiation therapy's impact on tumor cells. Ongoing research seeks radiosensitizers that augment radiotherapy's efficacy without increasing toxicity, offering exciting prospects for the APAC region and beyond. Our new APAC Edition host Lance Emin...

One of the biggest trends making headlines and impacting the healthcare industry to date is the rising popularity of GLP-1 drugs. Initially developed for diabetes management, these products have recently gained traction for weight loss indications. But with promising efficacy and growing popularity, is the healthcare industry truly prepared for the challenges posed by these drugs becoming such a h...

In this episode of the Syneos Health Podcast, we embark on a journey into the metaverse – a revolutionary concept that's transforming the way we approach training and learning. As we delve into the world of the metaverse and its implications for healthcare training, Michael Shim, PharmD , National Director, Field Medical Affairs and Marie Latsa, PharmD , Community Medical Director at Syneos H...

The emergency department (ER) can be a place of chaos, panic and infinite amounts of unpredictability. Not knowing what can come through the doors at any given time makes this environment impossible to foresee and prepare for.  Because of this uncertainty, the ER (and its patients) can be a particularly challenging target for clinical trials.    In this episode, Dr. Ruth Henrice-Desrosiers, Medica...

The game continues to change in biotech as continued macroeconomic uncertainty has far reaching implications for the future of the biopharma ecosystem. Biotechs can no longer operate toward the single goal of being acquired by, or of licensing their assets to, large pharma—and players may need to develop products further than in the past, and therefore strategic pathway optionality needs to be wea...

What is the healthcare industry up against in terms of recruiting, hiring, and retention, in the increasingly competitive job markets of China, Korea and Japan?  Leigh Householder and Sam Wilson , commercial solutions lead for APAC, Syneos Health,  discuss how changing customer needs, evolving market dynamics and shifts in customer engagement  continue to be  challenges when recruiting top talent...

In our previous episode , we covered how companies can harness the power of digital therapeutics to improve their brand’s value proposition. But what does it really take to get a clinically validated prescription digital product to market?   Dr. Shaheen Lakhan , Chief Medical Officer, Click Therapeutics joins us on the second episode of our two-part series on digital therapeutics to discuss the di...

Digital therapeutics (DTx) are projected to be $50 billion industry by 2025. While many minds may immediately jump to unregulated companion apps when they hear “digital,” there are also clinically validated prescription digital products that act complementary to or in combination with traditional biopharmaceutical therapies. As these prescription DTx gain traction, how can companies harness their...

"It's July 2022. This morning I tried to donate my kidney, this afternoon the transplant team told me that I can't, I have cancer." Words no one wants to hear. Even for a former Jeopardy! champion with degrees in molecular biology and two decades of experience in the biopharma industry, the implications of the phrase are overwhelming. Nearly a year later, our flagship podcast h...