Episode 178 - April 3, 2026

On this week’s episode, Graig Suvannavejh, Mike Yee, and Eric Schmidt kick off with a look back at biotech deal activity through the first quarter, highlighting a solid, but not overheated, M&A environment. The group discusses recent transactions, including large, commercially focused deals designed to drive near‑term revenue growth rather than pipeline speculation, particularly Biogen’s $5.6 billion acquisition of Apellis. While total Q1 deal value was roughly in line with historical averages, they note that meaningful capital continues to be recycled back into the sector. In other deals, Lilly’s $6.3 billion upfront acquisition of Contessa is also noted as an opportunity for Lilly diversify its pipeline beyond obesity. Next, the co-hosts highlight growing interest in blood–brain barrier drugs following Korsana’s merger with Cyclerion. The conversation shifts to regulatory news, including the FDA approval of Lilly’s oral GLP‑1, alongside signs of increasing regulatory flexibility in rare disease, such as Scholar Rock’s SMA BLA resubmission, and an upcoming decision for Replimune. The episode concludes with data updates, including Viridian’s Phase 3 thyroid eye disease results and discussion on NLRP3 inhibitors as a potential next wave cardiometabolic and obesity drugs beyond GLP 1s. *This episode aired on April 3, 2026.