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PODCAST

Biotech Hangout

Daphne Zohar, Josh Schimmer, Brad Loncar, Tim Opler and more

A weekly discussion of all things biotech – breaking news, data, deals, and FDA actions – with a community of biotech industry leaders and experts. Join the live streams hosted by @BiotechCH, @daphnezohar, @bradloncar and @biotech1 on Twitter Spaces every Friday at 12pm ET.

science life sciences

All Episodes

01:00:02

Episode 198 - October 2, 2026

Biotech Hangout ·

2026/10/02

On this week's episode, Graig Suvannavejh, Sam Fazeli, Eric Schmidt, and Brian Skorney open with a look at the public markets, noting the XBI is up 27% year-to-date but down about 9% since its August high. The co-hosts then touched on Oura's pulled IPO, seeing little read-through for the broader biotech space. In deals, Sanofi and Regeneron extended their antibody collaboration for $1 billion upfront and up to $7 billion in milestones, while AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo struck deals with

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00:58:54

Episode 197 - September 25, 2026

Biotech Hangout ·

2026/09/25

On this week's episode, Sam Fazeli, Yaron Werber, Brian Skorney, and Matt Gline open with the IPO market, noting record average raise sizes even as XBI softens. The group turns to policy, unpacking newly FOIA-disclosed details of Pfizer's MFN agreement, including a revenue-share provision tied to price increases abroad. The co-hosts call the equalization concept constructive but warn cash-strapped European governments may ration access rather than pay more. They also discuss FDA commissioner

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00:55:23

Episode 196 - September 18, 2026

Biotech Hangout ·

2026/09/25

On this week's episode, Josh Schimmer, Eric Schmidt, Paul Matteis, and guest Adam Feuerstein open with the OpenAI/Hugging Face AI agent controversy, debating whether calls for AI regulation reflect genuine safety concern or capital rotating out of biotech into AI. Turning to markets, the group describes a choppy September for biotech, driven more by rate jitters and a quiet M&A backdrop than any real shift in FDA or drug-pricing sentiment. In data news, Xenon Pharmaceuticals voluntarily

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01:00:04

Episode 195 - September 11, 2026

Biotech Hangout ·

2026/09/15

On this week's episode, Tess Cameron, Brian Skorney, Paul Matteis, and Yaron Werber open with a look at markets, noting the XBI slipped just over 3% amid concerns about energy prices, inflation, and long-term U.S. fiscal health weighing on the rate-sensitive sector. The conversation then turns to policy, discussing new FDA leadership appointments including Karim Mikhail as CBER director, with hosts noting the industry's hope for a calmer, less chaotic regulatory tone. They highlight the

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01:01:32

Episode 194 - August 28, 2026

Biotech Hangout ·

2026/08/28

On this week's episode, Daphne Zohar, Eric Schmidt, Sam Fazeli, and Graig Suvannavejh open with a strong week for biotech, partially driven by M&A, noting it's already past 2025's full-year total. The group turns to Moderna, whose melanoma cancer vaccine data sent shares up nearly 200% and stirred some mixed feelings from investors. Contrastly, BioNTech's decision to halt its colorectal cancer vaccine trial was also noted. In data news, Revolution Medicines' FDA approval of

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00:59:23

Episode 193 - August 14, 2026

Biotech Hangout ·

2026/08/14

On this week's episode, Chris Garabedian, Graig Suvannavejh, Paul Matteis, and Tess Cameron open with the biotech market. They describe 2026 as strong but discerning, with 19 Nasdaq IPOs this year and generalist investors still not fully back. The co-hosts also cover recent launches and raises, including Boulevard Bio's launch with Deerfield backing and Epicrispr's $90 million Series C raise for FSHD. In data news, Tenax's HFpEF candidate missed its primary and secondary endpoints,

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01:03:40

Episode 192 - August 7, 2026

Biotech Hangout ·

2026/08/07

On this week’s episode, Sam Fazeli, Brian Skorney, Yaron Werber, and Strand Therapeutics CEO Jake Becraft open with the wave of dealmaking and a solid Q2 earnings season, then turn to the reports of the potential AstraZeneca/Bristol Myers merger, which the group called “more smoke than fire.” Next, as the trend of reverse mergers continues, the co-hosts note they’re increasingly well-received as a faster path to going public. Meanwhile, the IPO window has remained open and strong. The conversation

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01:00:14

Episode 191 - July 31, 2026

Biotech Hangout ·

2026/08/03

On this week's episode, Graig Suvannavejh, Tim Opler, Yaron Werber, Paul Matteis, and Brian Skorney kicked off with a review of the market, noting pressure in the XBI despite a longer-term bounce-back from trough levels, though they see biotech fundamentals as largely intact. The group also discussed the trend of reverse mergers as an alternative to traditional IPOs, along with AI's expansion and uncertain role in accelerating drug discovery. In regulatory news, the co-hosts welcomed the

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00:58:33

Episode 190 - July 24, 2026

Biotech Hangout ·

2026/07/24

On this week's episode, Josh Schimmer, Brian Skorney, Eric Schmidt, and Brad Loncar kick off with IPOs and raises, including Scribe's IPO, the first preclinical biotech IPO since the COVID era, which priced in a modest but upsized deal. The group also covers Mentari's additional $200 million raise ahead of its reverse merger with InMed, leading the co-hosts to question if reverse mergers are a positive for biotech or a worrisome trend. Next, the group turns to Colossal Biosciences'

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00:58:16

Episode 189 - July 17, 2026

Biotech Hangout ·

2026/07/17

On today’s episode, Yaron Werber, John Maraganore, Sam Fazeli, and Matt Gline open with a discussion of biotech market volatility, with Matt noting that it often seems driven more by opaque factor dynamics than company-specific fundamentals. The group then turns to Eli Lilly’s continued “Amazonification” and reinventing the pharma business as it acquires a variety of different companies, including this week’s $2.8B upfront acquisition of Atai Beckley, a psychedelic-focused company. The conversation

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01:00:52

Episode 188 - July 10, 2026

Biotech Hangout ·

2026/07/10

On this week's episode, Sam Fazeli, Josh Schimmer, Eric Schmidt, Paul Matteis, and special guest STAT's Matt Herper open on the market, noting that despite a wobbly day for biotech, the XBI holds strong gains year-to-date. The conversation turns to FDA transparency, where the co-hosts flag that CRLs haven't been released since April and that the agency may be walking back that practice. The co-hosts debate whether the FDA is swinging too far toward leniency after Agios' mitapivat won

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01:00:06

Episode 187 - June 26, 2026

Biotech Hangout ·

2026/06/26

On this week’s episode, Josh Schimmer, Eric Schmidt, Tess Cameron, and Sam Fazeli open by noting the XBI’s continued rise, debating whether biotech is getting ahead of itself. The co-hosts call this a “new era” in which biotech can be profitable rather than sold off to pharma. The conversation shifts to deals, with AbbVie’s $10.9 billion acquisition of Apogee, which raised questions about China-sourced drugs given their volume, pace of innovation, and cheaper price. The group also covers Boundless

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01:01:29

Episode 186 - June 12, 2026

Biotech Hangout ·

2026/06/12

On this week’s episode, Graig Suvannavejh, Eric Schmidt, Paul Matteis and Financial Times’ Oliver Barnes kicked off with the biotech market, with the XBI in positive territory and 12 biotech IPOs completed so far this year. They expected the IPO window to remain open for high-quality private companies. The group also overviewed recent financings, including SonoThera’s $125 million Series B, City Therapeutics’ $100 million Series B, Ethyreal’s $101 million Series A, and Summit’s decision to cancel a

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01:00:28

Episode 185 -June 5, 2026

Biotech Hangout ·

2026/06/09

On this week’s episode, Yaron Werber, Tess Cameron, SamFazeli, and Brian Skorney kick off with a look at markets, noting that while AI remains hot, biotech may be cooling amid anticipated tech IPOs. The co-hosts note that biotech saw a significant recovery over the past year driven by M&A and improving sentiment, highlighting that the XBI has remained remarkably stable. The discussion then turns to policy, where momentum to expand the COINS Act into biotech raises concerns. The group highlights

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00:58:11

Episode 184 - May 29, 2026

Biotech Hangout ·

2026/05/29

On this week’s episode, Chris Garabedian, Brian Skorney, Graig Suvannavejh, and special guest Ginkgo Bioworks CEO, Jason Kelly, kick off with a market update, highlighting a continued positive sentiment, citing Endpoints’ recent Biopharma Sentiment Index survey results, which showed improvements in biopharma conditions. The co-hosts also note the continued IPO activity, including Kardigan’s recent filing. The conversation shifts to China, with Jason suggesting that genetic engineering is a strategic

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01:01:20

Episode 183 - May 15, 2026

Biotech Hangout ·

2026/05/15

On this week’s episode, Sam Fazeli, Josh Schimmer, Eric Schmidt, and Tess Cameron kickoff with deals, highlighting the up to $15.2B Hengrui–BMS partnership and the broader trend of outsourcing early-stage drug development to China. The discussion continues with the co-hosts noting China’s edge in speed, quality, and cost-efficiency, while underscoring that the strength of U.S. capital markets remains a key advantage. This week also saw a significant raise, with Isomorphic Labs announcing a $2.1B

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01:00:15

Episode 182 - May 8, 2026

Biotech Hangout ·

2026/05/08

On this week’s episode, Josh Schimmer, Paul Matteis, Eric Schmidt, Yaron Werber, and special guest STAT’s Allison DeAngelis open with what they describe as “a bananas week for biotech,” highlighting strong substantial secondary offerings, including Cytokinetics and Avalo Therapeutics. The conversation then turns to M&A, with multiple new deals announced in Q1 and continued activity this week, including UCB’s acquisition of Candid Therapeutics for up to $2.2B, Angelini’s $4.1B purchase of

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01:00:02

Episode 181 - May 1, 2026

Biotech Hangout ·

2026/05/08

On this week’s episode, Eric Schmidt, Matt Gline, Chris Garabedian, Sam Fazeli, and Graig Suvannavejh open with a discussion on biotech public‑market dynamics, noting solid year‑to‑date performance for the XBI. Next, the group highlights the reopening of the IPO window, with multiple upsized offerings and strong aftermarket performance, supported by renewed generalist investor interest. The conversation then turns to large‑cap pharma earnings, with focus on Lilly’s continued outperformance driven by

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00:53:48

Episode 180 - April 17, 2026

Biotech Hangout ·

2026/04/17

On today’s episode, Chris Carabedian, Paul Matteis, Tess Cameron, and special guest Adam Feuerstein kick off with a discussion of the public markets, highlighting the XBI’s post‑pandemic highs, Kailera’s IPO pricing and more than $625 million raised, the opening of the IPO window with multiple filings, and increasing generalist interest in the biotech sector. The group also discusses Obsidian Therapeutics going public following a reverse merger with Galera, alongside a $350 million PIPE. The

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00:59:55

Episode 179 - April 10, 2026

Biotech Hangout ·

2026/04/10

On this week’s episode, Greg Suvannavejh, Josh Schimmer, Yaron Werber, Sam Fazeli, and special guest Financial Times journalist Oliver Barnes kick off by highlighting the strength of the biotech sector from a public markets perspective, noting the XBI has outperformed the S&P 500 so far this year. The group agrees biotech is in a solid position overall. In policy news, the co‑hosts discuss the latest on the Trump administration’s proposed 100% pharma tariffs, Most Favored Nation drug pricing,

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