Podcast · Tech & Science

BioCentury This Week

by BioCentury · English · Tech & Science

BioCentury's streaming commentary on biotech industry trends, plus interviews with KOLs. For three decades, BioCentury has helped biopharma executives and investors make business-critical decisions and build larger networks with peers across the innovation ecosystem.

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 33 min
Latest: 13 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

13 Oct 2026 · 25 minNew

Ep. 392 - Biotech markets: Pause before the storm?

An M&A-fueled first half gave way to third-quarter underperformance for biotech as a short squeeze in Moderna forced specialist funds into selling some quality names and follow-on activity slowed. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts preview the fourth quarter, where rising bond yields and the U.S. midterms could keep financing and deal activity quiet through year-end. The analysts also discuss why late-stage misses in Lp(a), IL-6, and Factor XI are pushing de...

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

S7 · E391 · 6 Oct 2026 · 30 min
Ep. 391 - China deals, Beam lawsuit, MFN models, Nobel winners
Pharma partnering in China is getting earlier and broader, with Merck & Co., Novo Nordisk and Novartis striking multibillion-dollar deals for assets spanning new modalities and disease areas. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury's analysts assess the trend and why co-development deals could draw scrutiny in Washington. The analysts also discuss the complexities of Beam's trade secret suit against YolTech, why the GLOBE Medicare pricing model matters more for the preceden...
S7 · E390 · 30 Sep 2026 · 34 min
Ep. 390 - Live from Amsterdam: Grand Rounds Europe takeaways
Mechanisms broad enough to matter across many diseases, from mitochondrial health to the biology of aging, emerged as a defining theme at Grand Rounds Europe in Amsterdam. On a special live edition of the BioCentury This Week podcast, BioGeneration Ventures' Oskar Slotboom, NautaDutilh's Ruud Smits and Leyden Labs' Dinko Valerio join BioCentury's analysts to discuss women's health and sleep as lenses on disease, and the shift toward prevention. The panel also weighs the limits of "Frankenstei...
S7 · E389 · 29 Sep 2026 · 37 min
Ep. 389 - IgA nephropathy, Overton hearing, reverse mergers' new look
Seven global approvals in five years, validated biomarkers and FDA flexibility have turned IgA nephropathy from a neglected rare disease into a crowded field, with Biogen, Novartis, Takeda, Climb Bio and Jade chasing targets such as APRIL, BAFF and CD38. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury's analysts assess how next-generation therapies are competing on safety and longer dosing intervals. The analysts also discuss Heidi Overton's FDA commissioner confirmation hearing and li...
S7 · E388 · 22 Sep 2026 · 32 min
Ep. 388 - Biotech IPOs, CAR T safety & pharma tariffs
The first biotech IPO in a month, Electra's upsized $350 million offering, fell in its trading debut, testing investor appetite while a wave of reverse mergers showcases an alternate route to NASDAQ. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury's analysts examine momentum in the biotech IPO market. The team also unpacks fatal toxicities in Novartis' autoimmune CAR-T trials and what they reveal about manufacturing, dosing and immune biology risks across the modality. In Washington, S...
S7 · E387 · 15 Sep 2026 · 31 min
Ep. 387 - Psychedelics at FDA, Mike Davis’ CDER & tRNAs
Note: This episode was briefly published with an incorrect audio file, which has since been corrected. FDA is prepared to approve psychedelic therapies for chronic psychiatric disorders before sponsors have fully determined how long the effects last or when patients should receive second or subsequent doses. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury's analysts assess the latest guidance on psychedelics from FDA. The team also discusses takeaways from Michael Davis' first intervi...
S7 · E386 · 9 Sep 2026 · 35 min
Ep. 386 - Novartis misses, pharma deals analysis, MFN carve-outs
A pair of high profile clinical setbacks has wiped out more than $40 billion in market cap for Novartis, most of which stemmed from the Phase III miss of antisense oligonucleotide therapy pelacarsen. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury's analysts unpack the fallout for Lp(a) as a cardio target and whether issues with the target, modality or treatment setting contributed to the therapy's lack of efficacy. The analysts also review BioCentury's annual big pharma deals analysis...
S7 · E385 · 1 Sep 2026 · 36 min
Ep. 385 - MFN deals, Lilly takeout, FDA pick Overton
Mid-sized biopharma companies are under growing pressure to accept most-favored nation drug pricing deals with the White House. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury's analysts assess the trade-offs companies face, the litigation risks around mandatory Medicare MFN pricing demonstrations, and what happens to companies that don't sign on. The analysts also discuss Eli Lilly's acquisition of Merida, its thirteenth takeout of the year, Heidi Overton's nomination as FDA commissio...
28 Aug 2026 · 43 min
Ep. 384 - Back to School Special: The global FIH trials race
China has changed the global narrative on delivering early human clinical data, with a new bar for speed and efficiency. And now drug developers and policymakers around the world have gotten the message and know that this is no time for complacency. On a special edition of the BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury's analysts discuss why transformational reform for early clinical development will require rethinking the risk-control paradigm for first-in-human trials. It’s the subject of the...
S7 · E383 · 25 Aug 2026 · 19 min
Ep. 383 - Moderna, Genentech obesity deal, Trump's FDA pick
A Phase III win for a melanoma vaccine from Moderna and Merck & Co. has opened the door to personalized neoantigen vaccines. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss the vaccine’s prospects and the broader implications. The analysts also discuss Roche/Genentech’s deal with Hanmi, which will add to the MNC’s obesity pipeline an asset that the pharma believes could be first in class, and the White House's pick of a Trump loyalist to lead FDA – a move that ha...
S7 · E382 · 18 Aug 2026 · 25 min
Ep. 382 - Summer’s venture wave; drugging beta-catenin; Capricor & FDA
A baker’s dozen of biotechs shrugged off the summer haze to raise nearly $800 million in venture cash. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss the financings, which included money for a potential challenger to Amgen’s blockbuster Tepezza and a new venture from immunology professor Georg Schett with backing from Deerfield Management, Boulevard Bio. The analysts also discuss new approaches to drug cancer’s “undruggable” β-catenin pathway, and whether Capricor’s...
S7 · E381 · 11 Aug 2026 · 32 min
Ep. 381 - FIH urgency in the U.S. Plus: federated learning, biotech IPOs
Pressure is on FDA, policymakers and academic centers in the U.S. to respond to challenges from China, Australia, and beyond to run first in human trials faster and more efficiently. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss how stakeholders in the U.S. are responding to the challenge. The analysts also discuss the next frontiers of federated learning in drug discovery and the latest crop of biotech IPOs on NASDAQ, which raised over $1.2B in strong IPO run last...
S7 · E380 · 4 Aug 2026 · 32 min
Ep. 380 - AZ-BMS rumors, Replimune, psychedelics
Rumors flew this weekend about a mega-merger of AstraZeneca and Bristol Myers — but would such a deal make sense? On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts explain why they aren’t buying it. The team also discusses what lessons can be learned from the regulatory roller-coaster ride of Replimune’s RP1 vusolimogene oderparepvec and psychedelic therapies’ inflection point in treating depression. View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/660376 #BiotechMA #FDA ...
S7 · E379 · 28 Jul 2026 · 34 min
Ep. 379 - Argenx M&A, AI giants and biopharma, catalyst scorecard
Argenx the tier-jumping European biotech, believes its proposed $2.2 billion purchase of Forte Biosciences will add a second multi-indication product upon which it can run the strategy that has made autoimmune drug Vyvgart efgartigimod alfa a blockbuster. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss the deal and put it in the context of a new cohort of large-cap companies increasingly active in biotech M&A. The analysts also assess how recent releases from Ant...
21 Jul 2026 · 42 min
Ep. 378 - U.K. cabinet shuffle, Taiwan biotech and Biogen data
The departure of U.K. Science Minister Patrick Vallance is a blow for U.K. biotech. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss what Vallance’s exit, the appointment of John Healey as Chancellor of the Exchequer and other changes arriving with the new Prime Minister could mean for life sciences in the country. BioCentury’s analysts also discuss an ambitious U.K. data initiative launched this month. The Health Data Research Service is intended to be a single front...
S7 · E377 · 15 Jul 2026 · 29 min
Ep. 377 - Trends in life sciences talent with CBRE's Ian Anderson
After nearly three years of sluggish job growth, hiring is turning a corner in the U.S. life sciences industry, while the talent pool is expanding beyond the sector’s traditional hubs. On a special episode of the BioCentury This Week podcast, Ian Anderson, senior director, head of U.S. life sciences & healthcare research at CBRE, joins BioCentury’s analysts to discuss the company’s recent report on life sciences talent trends, and how those trends are driving property demand. This episode...
S7 · E376 · 14 Jul 2026 · 33 min
Ep. 376 - M&A momentum: 3Q public markets preview
M&A enthusiasm is carrying biotech amid tepid reception for launches. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss BioCentury’s 3Q26 Public Markets Preview, asking whether M&A momentum can carry biotech through year-end and what happens if the AI trade goes bust? Editor in Chief Simone Fishburn gives her perspective on what incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s agenda means for U.K. life sciences. The analysts also discuss Ionis’ ATTR-CM miss and Takeda’s...
S7 · E375 · 7 Jul 2026 · 34 min
Ep. 375 - Novartis' ADC gambit & regulation as catalyst for U.K. biotech
Novartis is deepening its antibody-drug conjugate capabilities with its $1.1 billion acquisition of U.K. biotech Myricx Pharma. On the latest episode of the BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss how the deal fits with the Swiss pharma’s cancer toolkit. The analysts then discuss MHRA CEO Lawrence Tallon’s Guest Commentary in BioCentury on making regulation a catalyst for U.K. life sciences and why the primary defeat of Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) is a setback for FDA ref...
S7 · E374 · 29 Jun 2026 · 34 min
Ep. 374 - Parkinson's deep dive & FDA trial reforms
New Parkinson’s disease programs aim to move beyond the historical norm of symptom management, branching into targeted therapeutics and cell therapies. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts review the most promising targets and trends shaping the Parkinson’s treatment landscape. The team then turns to AstraZeneca’s build-out of its obesity portfolio, followed by FDA’s Operation TrialBlazer and what the reforms mean for reducing the time to launch a clinical trial i...
S7 · E373 · 23 Jun 2026 · 30 min
Ep. 373 - AbbVie M&A, FDA reversals, a CAR T first
AbbVie's $10.9 billion deal to acquire Apogee will expand its immunology pipeline by delivering assets for atopic dermatitis and asthma. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss the takeout and the assets AbbVie gains. The analysts then discuss moves by FDA to reverse controversial setbacks that occurred under the agency’s former leadership and assess Acting CDER Director Michael Davis’ memo outlining how his predecessor repeatedly overruled career staff to qu...
S7 · E372 · 16 Jun 2026 · 25 min
Ep. 372 - Biotech IPOs, Biosecure Act, cachexia pipeline
Biotech IPOs that are getting out remain hot — but will that continue into the fall? On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss the market for fresh biotech paper on NASDAQ, including the $770 million debut by Parabilis, the largest IPO in the sector’s history. The analysts also discuss the Biosecure Act and U.S. policy toward China; the cachexia pipeline; and BioCentury’s updated Innovation Distillery. View full story: https://www.biocentury.com/article/...
S7 · E371 · 11 Jun 2026 · 33 min
Ep. 371 - Moving faster at the academia-industry interface
Getting into the clinic fast to de-risk assets has become the name of the game in biotech, and at the academia-industry interface, too. From AI to NAMs to starting a Phase I trial in the U.S., BioCentury’s 3rd Grand Rounds-U.S. conference brought together academic innovators, biopharma leaders and early-stage investors to debate key bottlenecks in translation and how to make early-stage R&D investible. Sam Blackman, entrepreneur in residence at GV and co-founder of Day One Biopharmaceutic...
S7 · E370 · 9 Jun 2026 · 35 min
Ep. 370 - Calmer waters for FDA; Servier, Lilly deals
FDA’s new leadership is sailing the agency into calmer waters amid a search for a permanent commissioner and permanent center directors. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury Washington Editor Steve Usdin discusses how FDA’s new, interim leaders have changed the tone at the agency and why they are putting medicines derailed under former FDA Commissioner Marty Makary back on track. Usdin also highlights FDA’s new real-time clinical trials initiative. BioCentury’s analysts then...
S7 · E369 · 2 Jun 2026 · 39 min
Ep. 369 - ASCO advances, China innovation & U.S. science under threat
Revolution Medicines continues to impress with more pancreatic cancer data, earning a standing ovation at ASCO over the weekend. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss the detailed data for the company’s daraxonrasib, Akeso’s Harmoni-6 readout, as well as other results from the meeting. BioCentury’s analysts then argue that U.S. biotech executives and policymakers should embrace the challenges and opportunities that come with the rise of innovation in China ...
S7 · E368 · 27 May 2026 · 34 min
Ep. 368 - ASCO Preview, China Policy, ADC Linkers
At ASCO among presentations focused on pancreatic cancer innovation beyond KRAS; however, abstracts for the cancer conference also highlight ADCs, bispecifics and diagnostics that are broadening the field’s approach to the cancer. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss Revolution’s daraxonrasib, other readouts to watch for in pancreatic cancer and what else is on BioCentury’s radar at this year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting. BioCentury’s a...
S7 · E367 · 19 May 2026 · 31 min
Ep. 367 - FDA, obesity targets and the rise of DACs
Marty Makary wasn’t the only official on the outs at FDA last week in another tumultuous turn of events for the regulatory agency. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury Washington Editor Steve Usdin discusses who’s in, who’s out and what’s next at FDA — and why the changes may mean more conservative decision-making at the agency in the near term. BioCentury’s analysts also discuss the new obesity targets that came to light at last week’s annual meeting of the European Congres...
S7 · E366 · 12 May 2026 · 44 min
Ep. 366 - Europe's need for speed: Bio€quity takeaways
China’s speed in generating first-in-human data has catalyzed a race across the globe to reshape regulatory requirements to compete. BioCentury’s analysts, along with special guests Detlev Mennerich, head of Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund, and Mehdi Ainouche, partner at Jeito Capital, discussed where Europe fits in that landscape and other takeaways from the 26th annual Bio€quity Europe conference in Prague. This special episode of BioCentury This Week has been brought to you by Jeito Capi...
S7 · E365 · 12 May 2026 · 31 min
Ep. 365 - Thin ice for Makary, redosing AAVs
Marty Makary’s hold on the top job at FDA is slipping, with White House leaks about President Donald Trump’s displeasure with the FDA commissioner shifting the question from whether he will be fired to when. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, Washington Editor Steve Usdin discusses the pressures on Makary, how long he will hold onto his post, and the leading candidates to succeed him. BioCentury’s analysts then discuss solutions to AAV’s redosing problem, which could reignite industr...
S7 · E364 · 5 May 2026 · 32 min
Ep. 364 - UCB’s Candid buy, Grand Rounds and leukodystrophies
UCB is the latest biopharma player to consummate a multibillion-dollar deal amid a surge in biotech M&A activity, acquiring Ken Song’s Candid Therapeutics, one of the leading T cell engager companies. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts discuss the $2 billion takeout and the opportunity in the TCE space. They also assess the drug development landscape for leukodystrophies and the market for biotech IPOs on NASDAQ, where a trio of biotechs exceeded expectation...
S7 · E653 · 28 Apr 2026 · 30 min
Ep. 363 - New targets at AACR, biopharma deals, Kurma fund
More than 175 new oncology targets surfaced at this year’s American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting in San Diego, with the focus on new ways to enhance the immune response against solid tumors and to make existing immunotherapies more effective. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s analysts assess the new targets identified among the thousands of abstracts at AACR, as well as emerging pan-RAS inhibiting antibody-drug conjugates. The analysts also discuss Eli...

About BioCentury This Week

BioCentury This Week is a English tech & science podcast from BioCentury. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: BioCentury
Language: English
Category: Tech & Science
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 33 min
Latest episode: 13 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1509724225

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