Meet the lean, keen biotech

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with  Ian Walters, CEO and Chairman at Portage Biotech.

Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the pharmaceutical and biotechnology supply chain with Ian, covering:

• What Ian learned from his time working with a team of Nobel Prize winners at Rockefeller University
• Breaking the mold by launching a clinical trial in just three months versus the 12-month standard in a big pharma firm
• Why building relationships with big pharma is key as a small biotech company with multiple assets in the pipeline
• How his lean biotech is running the most rapid proof of concept studies in the market whilst conserving cash and building value
• Why manufacturing and reliance on CDMOs have been the biggest challenge to his business

Dr Ian Walters has over 20 years of leadership and expertise in oncology/immunology drug development and specializes in the evaluation, prioritization and innovation of new therapies for the treatment of severe diseases. 

Prior to Portage, Ian spent seven years at Bristol Myers Squibb, where he managed physicians overseeing the international development of more than eight oncology compounds and biomarker and companion diagnostic work. He was a core member of Bristol Myers Squibb’s Strategic Transactions Group evaluating and executing licensing agreements, mergers and acquisitions, clinical collaborations and the company’s immuno-oncology strategy. Prior to BMS, he held positions at PDL BioPharma, Inc., Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc., leading corporate development, translational medicine, clinical development and medical affairs.

Before entering the private sector, Ian was a lead investigator at the Rockefeller University and initiated advanced immunology research to understand the mechanism of action of several compounds. Ian received his M.D. from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and an MBA from the Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania.

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Molecule to Market is sponsored and funded by ramarketing, an international marketing, design, digital and content agency helping companies differentiate, get noticed and grow in life sciences.