INTERVIEWS

Laura Dix, Managing Director in  Accenture’s Life Sciences Strategy and Consulting practice in London, UK,  discusses new research titled The “New” Rules of Engagement, which examined how pharmaceutical companies can give healthcare providers (HCPs) new and meaningful interactions. The report, which surveyed 720 HCPs across the U.S. and five additional countries, reveals how pharma companies can rethink their relationship with providers to positively impact treatment decisions and lead to better outcomes by gaining time, trust and influence.  

Dr. Craig Eagle, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Guardant Health discusses a new study published in “Nature Medicine” which demonstrated that using the Guardant360 liquid biopsy test can help guide treatment decisions for patients with HER2-driven metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). The Phase 2 study – TRastuzumab combIned with pertuzUMab for patients with Her2-positive mCRC (TRIUMPH) – showed that the Guardant360 test can select patients for HER2-directed therapy, identify which patients are responding to treatment, as well as identify genetic alterations that predict resistance.​ 

Grant Simic, Executive Population Health Partner for U.S. Neurology at UCB, discusses real-world studies addressing topics such as the cultural attitudes regarding epilepsy across various stakeholders that were presented at the American Epilepsy Society (AES) 75th Annual Meeting 2021. He also discusses work UCB did in partnership with the Arizona State University College of Health Solutions on social determinants of health as they relate to epilepsy. ​ 

Dr. Jeffrey Dlott, Medical Director, Consumer Health at Quest Diagnostics discusses the company’s new virtual preventive care service called the Comprehensive Health Profile designed to meet the needs of individuals who want more visibility into their own health information and access to preventive care at their fingertips. The QuestDirect offering includes lab tests, a behavioral risk assessment, weight, blood pressure, and other information that will provide individuals a personalized snapshot of their overall health.

Returning guest, Dr. Ken Hansraj, MD, a New York based spinal and orthopedic surgeon discusses “LIFT: Meditations To Boost Back Health” a six-track CD inspired by his daily meditations to treat his own chronic pain. 

Jim Gilligan, President and Chief Scientific Officer discusses Tryp Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company focused on developing psilocybin-based compounds to treat diseases with unmet medical needs through accelerated regulatory pathways. Tryp’s unique Psilocybin-For-Neuropsychiatric Disorders (PFN™) program focuses on developing synthetic psilocybin as a new class of drug for the treatment of chronic pain and other indications. Tryp Therapeutics brings a proprietary and differentiated approach to manufacturing, formulating, dosing, and administering psychedelic compounds, including advancing its novel compound TRP-8803 through preclinical trials with the aim to improve the patient experience and enhance patient safety. 

Colin Lake, Vice President of Digital Business Transformation for Neurology at UCB, discusses the company’s approach to digital solutions and how they complement UCB’s medicines for people living with epilepsy. He’ll spend time discussing a new collaboration with NextSense, a data platform and research on detecting seizures with biosensing earbuds that can be worn comfortably at night and as needed throughout the day. 

Dr. Dorry Segev, Professor of Surgery and Epidemiology and Associate Vice Chair of Surgery at Johns Hopkins University discusses the impact of COVID on the immunocompromised community and the importance of bringing new therapies to patients that supplement vaccines and provide long-lasting protection, including the FDA’s recent decision to authorize AstraZeneca’s COVID long-acting antibody (LAAB) combination named Evusheld (AZD7442), which can provide at least six months of protection against COVID-19 after a single dose. The emergency use authorization of Evusheld is an important step forward for people who may remain vulnerable to COVID-19 because of an inadequate response to a COVID-19 vaccine, including people with blood cancers or other cancers being treated with chemotherapy, and those taking medications after an organ transplant or who are taking immunosuppressive drugs for conditions including multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Beth Battaglino, RN-C and CEO of HealthyWomen discusses a recent national public survey by The Alliance for Endometriosis which revealed that 90% of people with endometriosis are disbelieved, dismissed, or ignored by others at least monthly. The survey sheds light on people’s experiences with endometriosis-related stigma and the disconnect in conversations between patients and their health care providers. The Alliance for Endometriosis has created an Action Plan with the goal of reducing – or eliminating – the stigma associated with endometriosis and encouraging more productive patient and physician conversations that lead to faster diagnoses and improved treatment options and experiences. 

Dr. Jalaja Potluri, Executive Medical Director at AbbVie and the Development Leader for VENCLEXTA (venetoclax) discusses data on VENCLEXTA reinforcing the efficacy and versatility of this treatment in numerous blood cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML)(abstract 1271), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)(abstract 537), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). These data were presented at the 2021 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting. Visit www.hematology.org to learn more.