Episode 53

On this week’s episode of Biotech Hangout, For Blood and Money: Billionaires, Biotech, and the Quest for a Blockbuster Drug author, Nathan Vardi, joins hosts Daphne Zohar, Josh Schimmer, Tim Opler and guest Barbara Ryan. They start the discussion recapping the fallout from the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and the domino effect it’s had, including more fear in the banking system, hate and blame directed towards VCs, and the effect on CFOs. The conversation pivots to more positive news with three big M&A deals from the week - Pfizer acquires Seagen, Sanofi acquires Provention Bio and Merck acquires Velos Bio - and the proportion of new drug approvals in the neurology space. Then, the group highlights activist investors in biotech, who made waves this week. *This episode aired on March 17, 2023. Disclosure from Josh Schimmer: "Evercore ISI disclosures for the companies that I cover can be found on the Biotech Hangout homepage."