INTERVIEWS

As much of the world’s focus this past year has been on making progress in fighting off the COVID-19 pandemic, some remained focused on other raging epidemics that existed prior to the emergence of COVID-19 and continue to worsen over time.  For Rohan Palekar, CEO of 89bio, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical start-up, the raging epidemic is non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and he discusses how they haven’t allowed the pandemic or the failures of other NASH treatments to hinder their progress of developing a solution for NASH.  He talks about what’s on the horizon for 89bio, including plans for continuing the development of their lead candidate, BIO89-100 with the initiation of a Phase 2b trial for the treatment of (NASH). 

Dr. Sandy Milligan, Head of Research & Development at Organon, discusses the current state of women’s health and the company’s goal to redefine it by putting all women at the center of everything they do and by listening to her to better meet her needs — big or small. 

Lead author, Dr. Philip Mease, MD, Director of Rheumatology Research at the Swedish Medical Center/Providence St. Joseph Health and Clinical Professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, discusses new data from the Phase 3 DISCOVER-1 and DISCOVER-2 studies published in “The Lancet Rheumatology” (July 2021) on the efficacy of guselkumab on axial symptoms in patients with active psoriatic arthritis. Up to 70% of PsA patients experience axial symptoms. 

Dr. Jennifer Gudeman, Vice President, Medical and Clinical Affairs at Avadel Pharmaceuticals discusses new clinical data from the pivotal phase 3 REST-ON clinical trial that was presented at the SLEEP 2021 Annual Meeting.  The investigational therapy, FT218, for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy in patients suffering from narcolepsy is currently under review at the FDA with a PDUFA target date of October 15, 2021.  She also talks about the current treatment landscape and the unmet need among patients for a differentiated treatment option.  

Dr. Jeffrey Cleland, Ph.D., Chairman, CEO and President of Ashvattha Therapeutics, a clinical stage biotech company discusses treatments that are in development to address inflammation of the brain caused by COVID.  They recently announced positive interim results on its ongoing phase 2 PRANA clinical study, which showed that OP-101, a novel hydroxyl dendrimer therapeutic, has the ability to successfully cross the blood brain barrier and suppress hyperinflammation.  The company is also developing a class of novel hydroxyl dendrimer therapeutics that they hope will become the future of targeted therapies and unlock new levels of patient care across oncology, ophthalmology, and inflammatory diseases.  

Adam Levy, CEO of NEXGEL, advanced hydrogel solutions, discusses their unique water-based hydrogels designed differently from all other adhesives, tapes and surgical drapes that allow patients’ skin to remain hydrated, without rashes, and do not hurt patients when they are removed.  

Millions of people worldwide are currently impacted by heart valve disease, and one in eight people aged 75 and older have the most common form, aortic stenosis (AS). Currently, treatment options for AS include transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), a minimally invasive procedure, or a surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR), also known as open heart surgery. 

Dr. Reid Robison, Chief Medical Officer of Novamind discusses psychedelic medicine and Novamind’s leading network of psychedelic-assisted psychiatry clinics in America. Novamind is in a rapid expansion phase as they seek to build their growing network of clinics, research sites and therapeutic retreats specialized in psychedelic medicine. 

Dr. Anthony Rullo, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at McMaster University discusses the Anna Biosciences Syntem Platform that deploys engineered proprietary molecules to create synthetic immunity. Research suggests the platform can inhibit viral infection and aid in the removal of COVID-19 infected cells. In partnership with McMaster University, Anna Biosciences has proven its initial successes in the laboratory and is now accelerating its commercialization effort to bring this potential COVID-19 treatment to market.  The platform also shows strong promise for use against cancer and other pathogens. 

Dr. Brian LaMoreaux, MD, MS, Medical Director, Medical Affairs at Horizon Therapeutics plc discusses data presented at the 2021 European Alliance Of Associations For Rheumatology (EULAR) from the MIRROR open-label trial which looked at KRYSTEXXA® in combination with immunomodulator methotrexate in uncontrolled gout. EULAR abstract [AB0630].