Molecule to Market: Inside the outsourcing space

A passion for pharma packaging

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Peter Belden, President of Tjoapack US.

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

• How the success of a contract packaging operation led to a divestiture from AmerisourceBergen to PCI
• The fun, games, and complexities of multi-national, M&A integrations
• Smaller patient populations and personalized medicines drive demand for more flexible and agile contract packaging providers
• Active listening, removing headaches from clients, and eliminating roadblocks are key to success

Peter is a leader in pharmaceutical services and is passionate about building teams that delight clients. He recently joined the Tjoapack team as President of, US, to help embark on the next stage of the company’s growth by delivering quality, service, and flexible solutions to clients.

With 25 years of service to pharmaceutical and biotech clients across packaging materials, contract packaging for clinical supplies and commercial medicines, specialty third-party logistics, and related commercialization offerings.

He has held leadership roles at AmerisourceBergen, Avery Dennison, PCI, and Clinigen Group.

Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues, and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

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.

M2M meets Moderna & CPHI Conversations

In this episode of Molecule to Market, tune in for a special announcement about where to find Molecule to Market host, Raman Sehgal, at CPHI Barcelona this month.

Listen to the short episode covering:

• CDMO outlook - the trends and developments Raman expects to see this year and into 2024
• A fireside chat with Moderna covering COVID-19 and Oncology
• Panel moderation on the topic - Why building a collaborative network is essential

Are you heading to CPHI this month? Stop by one of Raman’s panels to gain valuable insights from leaders in the life sciences space.  Find the schedule in your CPHI app.

Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues, and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

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.

Launching a technology-forward CDMO

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Bruce Thompson, CEO of Kincell Bio.

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

• The daunting and exciting prospect of launching a CDMO spin-out focused on early-phase companies
• The challenges and opportunities of pivoting a facility from innovator-owned to CDMO-owned
• Navigating from technical leader to a first CEO role... and the importance of covering your blind spots
• Why Bruce is seeing an upturn in the market and the emergence of more diverse opportunities.

 

Bruce is the CEO of Kincell Bio, bringing over 28 years of experience to his position. Before this, he was Vice President and Technical Lead for the Cell Therapy Franchise at Resilience, Inc., where he helped build the development and GMP manufacturing capabilities and served as a technical advisor internally and externally.

He has over 18 years of CMC strategy, product development, and cell therapy manufacturing experience. In his first startup role, he was Vice President of Process Sciences at Lyell Immunopharma, where he was responsible for Process and Analytical Development and tech transfer of processes and methods to a newly built state-of-the-art cGMP facility. Prior to Lyell, Bruce served as the Sr. Director of the Therapeutic Products Program at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC), where he led GMP manufacturing of cell and gene therapy products. He was responsible for supporting >15 active clinical programs and contributed to the filing of 6 INDs for various cell therapy programs.

Bruce also spent nearly ten years at Pfizer in the Pharmaceutical Sciences division, and he received his B.A. in Biology, an M.S. in Biochemistry from The Ohio State University, and a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Louisville.

Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues, and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

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.

 

Designing facilities today for tomorrow’s medicines

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Gordon Nicholson, Director of the Life Sciences NEA at Exyte.

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

• Transitioning from a regular, technical role into a commercial lead in Asia
• Lessons from sport and going back to basics when breaking down silos at Novo Nordisk Engineering
• Tips for building a presence and doing business in Asia from half a lifetime spent living and working in Thailand, China, and Singapore
• Being at the cutting edge of designing and building modern facilities for biologics, CGTs, and advanced therapies - including the rapid and complex needs of CDMOs
• A glimpse into the future of how CGT products may be made and administered at speed (safely) in the hospital in the next room from the patient

Gordon has more than 30 years of experience in designing and constructing Life Science facilities, from research to commercial production. He has worked on projects in Asia and the US for local and global pharmaceutical and biotechnology customers.

His responsibilities include leading the Life Science Concept Design Team in the Asia Pacific region, supporting clients through Business Development through the Technical review of documents before they are issued to clients.

Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues, and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

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.

The problem-solving biopharma veteran

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Matthew Stober, Chief Executive Officer at Abzena.

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

• How the failure of a big pharma R&D portfolio led to the creation of a CDMO business and a pipeline-ready facility
• Leadership lessons for transitioning from a functional leader to an enterprise-level one, and being part of a board
• How failures at retirement and the desire to make a difference in the fight against cancer brought Matt back to the CDMO space
• A global harmonization move, and a legislative change this industry veteran believes our sector needs

Matt joined Abzena from his role at Istari Oncology where he served as President and Chief Executive Officer for two years. He has over 30 years of experience at large, multinational pharmaceutical organizations, in manufacturing operational roles.

Matt has previously held senior executive positions at Novartis Vaccines, Smith and Nephew and Hospira where he served as Global Head of Operations, President of Operations, and Senior Vice President of Operations respectively.

His deep and extensive operational experience has been consolidated from positions at companies including GlaxoSmithKline, Merck and Pfizer. Matt holds various Board positions including current appointments at X-Vax Technology, Istari Oncology and Castlevax. He holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from Villanova University, PA, USA.

Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

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.

The servant leader creating the next generation CDMO

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with J.D. Mowery, President and Chief Executive Officer at KBI Biopharma.

Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the pharmaceutical and biotechnology supply chain with J.D., covering:

• The experience of bringing a product to market... and then many years later seeing that product used on his wife to help bring his sons into the world
• How bringing a commercial facility online for Genentech to impact thousands of patients compares to the ‘vain to vain’, hospital-based, one-off patient CAR-T product for Juno
• Why the ethos of taking care of the person on your left and the person on your right helps with the scale-up of a multi-national global CDMO
• The emergence of a partnership-based, absorption business model between innovators and CDMOs in the wake of the shift in capital markets
• What the next generation CDMO will look like…

J.D. is an accomplished leader with a distinguished reputation in the biopharma industry and proven expertise in guiding global innovators and contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) for nearly 25 years.

Throughout his diverse career, J.D. has demonstrated strategic vision and the ability to drive all aspects of an organization, including operations, R&D, manufacturing, tech transfer, facility construction, business development, employee growth, and investor relations. He is an expert in diverse modalities, including small molecules, biologics, and cell and gene therapy. J.D. has held executive leadership positions as 

Head of Operations at Lonza and Executive Vice President of U.S. Operations at AGC Biologics. He has also held influential roles at innovators, including Genentech, Celgene, and Juno, and most recently served as Chief Operating Officer at Treadwell Therapeutics. J.D. holds a Bachelor of Science from George Fox University and an MBA from Marylhurst University.

Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues, and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

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.

From Powdersize to Microsize

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with TJ Higley, CEO at Microsize.

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

• The fast, easy, scalable, precise, and non-patent-protected benefits of micronization
• How a synergistic capability alliance led to the eventual sale of his business to Lonza Capsugel
• The risks and realities of being an entrepreneur acquiring an organization, and then the collective rewards by incentivizing a team
• How a ‘getting the band back together’ call led to TJ taking back the site he once sold to create Microsize
• The importance of strategic partnerships and recognizing that you can’t do everything yourself

TJ joined Microsize in 2022 as CEO to lead the company into the next growth phase. TJ brings 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical market, most uniquely as a former owner and executive leader of Powdersize, Inc., the original and first CMO focused on pharmaceutical micronization in the US. TJ led both the business development efforts and oversaw the site quality team during his tenure, culminating in the acquisition of the company by Capsugel in 2015 and the integration into Lonza in 2017.

Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues, and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

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.

 

The mission-driven biotech CEO

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Howard Berman, CEO and Chairman of the Board at Coya Therapeutics

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

• How a neurology appointment with his father led to the creation of a biotech company focused on neurodegenerative, autoimmune, and metabolic diseases
• Having the DNA of an entrepreneur but taking the time to gain a big pharma foundation
• The harsh realities and characteristics required to start, fund, and grow a clinical-stage biotechnology company
• The need as a biotech CEO to be bullish, have confidence in your partners and be passionate about your disease... while celebrating the little successes
• Howard co-founded Nicoya Health in 2020 to realize the vision and research of Dr. Stanley Appel. He merged the company with Coya Therapeutics in 2021, where he currently serves as Chairman and CEO

He has over 18 years of entrepreneurial and industry experience working at the interplay of science and business. His experience offers him a unique combination of business acumen and scientific credibility with the ability to assess, quantify, and bridge both disciplines.

Howard gained corporate experience with increasing responsibilities and positions as a Medical Science Liaison at AbbVie. He spent 7.5 years launching Venetoclax in CLL and later, supporting numerous solid tumor assets. He also served in leadership roles at Novartis Pharmaceuticals and later Eli Lilly where he was the scientific point of contact between the company and key opinion leaders for the development and initiation of collaborations, clinical trials and investigator-initiated trials.

Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

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.

 

Foot on the pedal for Predictive Oncology

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Pamela Bush, Chief Business Officer at Predictive Oncology.

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

• The key aspects to successful deal-making learned over a decade with Eli Lily
• How a passion for curing cancer led Pamela to an opportunity to impact thousands of promising candidates directly
• How active machine learning is being used to screen molecules, help companies fail fast, and increase the success of a molecule in clinical trials
• The challenge of selling a disruptive, game-changing platform that could become a vital decision tool in the future

Pamela Bush, Ph.D. has over twenty years of experience in venture creation, finance, and business development in the life sciences industry. Pamela is the Chief Business Officer for Predictive Oncology where she leads the strategy and business development activities across the portfolio. Prior to joining Predictive Oncology, Pamela worked at Eli Lilly & Company in various roles including Corporate Business Development, Finance and Patient Services. In addition to her Lilly work experience, Pamela has worked in economic development, academia, and business consulting supporting the creation and growth of 100+ life sciences start-ups. Pamela holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University.

Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

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.

One-hour special: The biopharma outsourcer

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Tushar Misra, Chief Manufacturing Officer at Mersana Therapeutics.

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

• How his opportunistic nature led him to several roles, companies and locations across the processing and biopharmaceutical sector
• Being given the task of building a worldwide manufacturing and supply chain infrastructure for the commercial launch of a biologic oncology product globally for Takeda
• Key components of a strong CDMO partnership ‘beyond checking boxes’ and how the type of product impacts the selection process
• The harsh realities of a recent clinical failure for a biopharmaceutical company that impacts employees and patients
• How the explosion of modalities have driven growth across all segments the outsourcing space

Tushar Misra is the Chief Manufacturing Officer at Mersana Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the discovery and development a pipeline of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) targeting cancers in areas of high unmet medical need. He has over 30 years of experience in developing drugs that involve small and large molecules and ADCs, as well as the development and management of worldwide commercial supply chains.

Prior to Mersana, Tushar was EVP, Head of Technical Development & Manufacturing at Laronde, where he led the process development and manufacturing team for end-to-end manufacturing for RNA products. In addition, Tushar worked at Takeda Pharmaceuticals in several positions of increasing seniority, most recently as VP & Head, Global Oncology and Biologics Operations.

Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

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.