Episode 161 - October 31, 2025

On this week’s episode, Daphne Zohar, Bruce Booth, Sam Fazeli, Brian Skorney, Yaron Werber, and Eric Schmidt kick off with market updates, noting that the XBI is showing signs of a sustainable recovery after years of underperformance and highlighting that the IPO market is likely closed for the remainder of the year, but note optimism for early 2026. In deal news, Novartis’ $12B acquisition of Avidity is spotlighted as an unprecedented move for a company yet to read out Phase 3 data. The co-hosts also speculate on what this acquisition could mean for Dyne Therapeutics, has a similar RNA-based pipeline in rare muscle disease. Next, Daphne highlights that some of the biggest M&A deals of the year have come from women-led companies - including Avidity. The conversation then shifts to Novo Nordisk’s surprise $9Bbid for Metsera, which challenges Pfizer’s existing $7.3B deal and raises questions about Novo’s intentions. In policy news, manufacturing issues at Novo's Catalent Indiana facility and the impact on the sector are mentioned. The episode concludes with a group discussion around Bruce’s lessons from his 20 years in early-stage biotech. *This episode aired on October 31, 2025.