Pathfinders in Biopharma

Universal wisdom had it that a Republican sweep in the U.S. election would favor biotech. Appointments to the new administration's healthcare leadership make that far less certain. What effect will this and other factors have on the industry in 2025, and where are the breakthroughs likely to be found? Brian Abrahams, Head of Global Healthcare Research at RBC Capital Markets, looks ahead with in this episode of Pathfinders in Biotech.

Innovation is surging in the U.S biotechnology sector, so why are investors still fearful about committing? Noël Brown, Head of U.S. Biotechnology Investment Banking at RBC Capital Markets, is joined by fund founders Craig Gordon, MD, CEO and CIO at GordonMD® Global Investments LP and Srini Akkaraju, MD, PhD, Managing Partner at Samsara BioCapital, to analyze the prospects for a full return of capital to the sector.

Former biotech investor, Brad Loncar has pivoted his career from investing to reporting on the industry. Instead of serving the biotech bubble, he hopes to reach a wide audience with interest in science. Loncar explains why he switched careers and sets out his ambitions for his channel, Biotech TV.

The hardest parts of drug discovery will be vastly simplified if the mysteries of molecules and proteins can be cracked. That may be beyond human capabilities – but AI is working hard on it. In this episode of RBC's Pathfinders in Biopharma, Noël Brown is joined by Clarissa Desjardins, CEO of Congruence, and Laksh Aithani, CEO and Co-founder of Charm Therapeutics, to discuss how far the tech can take us.

A very special breed of animals is helping biotech and pharma companies in the quest for new human therapeutics. CFO Kurt Gustafson joins Pathfinders in Biopharma to explain the technologies behind OmniAb's business model.

Ronald Martell is a serial entrepreneur and biopharma veteran whose record includes the launch of Herceptin. He continues his mission to bring new drugs to patients with unmet medical needs. The CEO of Jasper Therapeutics explains his ambitions for his company's new antibody therapy and for the future of the industry.

In biotech, a recovery is already well underway. Expected interest rate cuts and improving valuations across public and private markets are creating a compelling environment for deals, entrances, exits, and trades to take shape.In this episode, biotech venture capital experts assess the sector's sharper focus on funding fundamental science, evolving deal structures, including the return of reverse mergers and dual-track processes, and the key therapeutic modalities that are driving momentum in the market.Hear from Andrew Aherrera, Partner at Panacea Venture; Jeni Lee, Partner at Pivotal Life Sciences; Regina Salvat, Principal at Sofinnova; and Noël Brown, Head of US Biotechnology Investment Banking at RBC Capital Markets, as they share their fresh perspectives on the dynamic forces propelling the biotech industry forward.

Public biotech Pyxis Oncology is taking forward its innovative work on ADCs. President and CEO, Lara Sullivan, explains the company's journey to find the right investors, and why she believes the markets still have some learning to do when analyzing data from early-stage studies.

Davern Capital's founder, Elie Kobrin, approaches the biopharma market from a long/short perspective – but as a former doctor, he also speaks the language of medicine. He explains the fund's approach and offers insights on hot topics in the current market.

As a healthcare-focused, market-neutral investor, Vince Aita stays close to new product developments with a view to identifying future successes and failures. At RBC's Global Healthcare Conference, he offered his insights on everything from the future of obesity innovation to the impact of the IRA.

The MedTech sector continues to grow in the U.S. as innovation in patient treatments and delivery meets increased demand from an aging population. Medical technology analyst Shagun Singh assesses key data points from the RBC Capital Markets' Doctor Days events, looking at how the healthcare sector can empower investors to position themselves for future growth.

Personalized, targeted drugs and gene therapies are still at the forefront of medical innovation, as we discovered at RBC Capital Markets annual Doctor Days meetings. These insightful forums bring together key opinion leader clinicians and researchers from various therapeutic fields with institutional investors to discuss where opportunities lie, the next big breakthroughs, and the most novel drug therapies. Brian Abrahams, Gregory Renza, and Luca Issi join the podcast to discuss findings from the meetings.

IDEAYA's drug development programs center around addressing unmet patient needs. Its founder tells Pathfinders in Biopharma why he believes there has never been more opportunity for breakthroughs in the fight against cancer.

Q1 2024 saw a handful of IPOs in the biotech sector, and mounting excitement over novel treatments. But there are less obvious trends in play, including a shift in focus by potential buyers in pharma. RBC's biotech investment banking team analyzes deal activity in the year to date and what it signals for the sector's future.

The first quarter of 2024 has seen biotech's funding drought broken, largely through private investment in public equity (PIPE) deals. In this episode of Pathfinders in Biopharma, three members of RBC's biotech investment banking team look at the impact of PIPEs' success on the sector and consider how long it can last – and why it has not been universally welcomed.

U.S. healthcare desperately needs to cut costs and improve outcomes. There is no single solution, but three disruptive forces in the digital health space are speeding change – and adding up to a healthy outlook for HCIT. Sean Dodge, Healthcare Technology Analyst, joins the podcast to unpack some of his predictions on the most impactful forces affecting healthcare.

Drug pricing is already an issue in the U.S. election campaign. Brian Abrahams, MD and Head of Biotech Research at RBC Capital Markets joins the Pathfinders in Biopharma podcast to consider how this, together with other policy developments in the U.S. and worldwide, might affect a resurgent biotech sector.

After a year of stark contrasts in the public and private equity markets for healthcare, 2024 is shaping up to be another mixed outlook. While biotech continues to bolster the market, albeit more in follow-on offerings than IPOs, and HCIT and healthcare services have tailwinds, the medtech and value-based care subsectors have challenges as well as opportunities. Join our Co-Heads of Healthcare Equity Markets for their insights into the year ahead.

As the U.S. economy shows positive signs for growth, inflation, and interest rates in 2024, RBC Capital Markets' RBC Capital Markets' Michael Reid, Blake Gwinn, Vito Sperduto and Larry Grafstein analyze the challenges posed by consumer spending, political gridlock, and quantitative tightening. This episode was originally published on RBC's Strategic Alternatives podcast.

In an era characterized by macro headwinds and profound market volatility, the biotech industry continues to raise capital to fuel drug development, clinical trials, and innovation. Capital raising in challenging markets comes with additional risks, leading venture capital firms and crossover investors to identify creative, unconventional deal structures and strategies that are redefining the biotech investment landscape. Join Chen Yu, Founder & Managing Partner at TCGX, Matthew Young, Managing Director at Longitude Capital, Arsani William, CIO & Managing Partner at Logos Capital, and RBC's Noël Brown, Head of US Biotechnology Investment Banking, for a roundtable discussion exploring how investors across the biotech ecosystem are navigating market complexity to put dollars to work creatively to manage risks, maximize rewards, and stimulate growth.

As RBC Capital Markets looks forward to a robust end to the year, John Hoffman and Jason Levitz, Co-Heads of Healthcare Equity Capital Markets explore how the firms who succeed in an especially dynamic market will be those willing to embrace new ways of thinking about unlocking value.

Join Head of US Capital Markets Research, Mark Odendahl and biotech analysts Brian Abrahams and Gregory Renza, as they explore the dynamic biotech sector landscape in H2 2023. This episode was originally broadcast on Industries in Motion, the RBC podcast.

U.S. soccer legends and World Cup champions Briana Scurry and Dr. Sara Hess joined Andrew Callaway, Global Head of Healthcare Investment Banking at RBC Capital Markets, at this year's RBC Global Healthcare Conference.

A new RBC ElementsTM report, “Insights from the BioWeb,” looks at the predictive potential of website traffic as a means to uncover underappreciated market trends and sales insights. Mark Odendahl, Head of US Capital Markets Research, is joined by Brian Abrahams, Head of Biotechnology at RBC Capital Markets, to discuss the report's findings.

While the public biotech markets remain volatile, VCs continue to raise new funds. Are we witnessing a renaissance in the private capital markets? The bankruptcy rate of biotechs is historically among the lowest of US publicly traded companies, however, companies are failing and there is still a widely held belief that too many biotech companies are in existence today. What are the hallmarks of companies that will not make it, and when does it make sense to ‘call it' or divest?In this episode of Pathfinders in Biopharma, hear from Jerel Davis, Managing Director at Versant Ventures, Otello Stampacchia, Founder & Managing Director at Omega Funds, Simeon George, CEO & Managing Partner at SR One and RBC's Noël Brown, Head of US Biotechnology Investment Banking, for a roundtable discussion on navigating the path to growth.

Given current macro and regulatory headwinds, determining the optimal time to sell a biotech company is a multifaceted decision that requires careful consideration of several key factors. Hear from industry veterans Ted Love, Marc de Garidel, and Abbas Kazimi who share their insights on a new era of M&A in a panel moderated by RBC Capital Markets Analysts Dr. Brian Abrahams, Dr. Luca Issi and Dr. Gregory Renza.

Hear from Vito Sperduto, RBC's Co-Head of Global M&A, and his panel of RBC Capital Markets' expert bankers on how large healthcare firms with strong balance sheets are putting cash to work — driving a ‘fast and furious' surge of M&A activity in the second half of the year and into 2024. Learn why healthcare momentum is building and how smaller deals are shaping M&A across the sector in the latest episode of Pathfinders in Biopharma. This podcast also features insights from Andrew ‘Cal' Callaway, Global Head of Healthcare Investment Banking, Ahmed Attia, Managing Director of Healthcare M&A, and Co-Head of US M&A, David Levin. This podcast episode was originally broadcast on Strategic Alternatives, the RBC M&A podcast.

Compressed valuations, heightened CEO confidence, and the desire to accelerate top-line growth and scale innovation are the key factors driving healthcare M&A in 2023. As deal activity starts to accelerate, our banking experts are asking, what's next for the sector? Listen to Pathfinders in Biopharma to find out. This episode features insights from Vito Sperduto, Co-Head of Global M&A, Andrew ‘Cal' Callaway, Global Head of Healthcare Investment Banking, Ahmed Attia, Managing Director of Healthcare M&A, and David Levin, Co-Head of US M&A at RBC Capital Markets. This episode was originally broadcast on Strategic Alternatives, the RBC M&A podcast.

In the latest episode of Pathfinders, Senior Biotechnology Analyst Gregory Renza discusses what's driving the latest spate of biotech M&A activity — the new players and partnership dynamics that are creating what he calls “a landscape of competition” in the broader market.

In this rebroadcast episode, we flash back to a previous interview with Dr. Ted W. Love, President and CEO of Global Blood Therapeutics (GBT). Dr. Love spoke with our biotechnology analyst Gregory Renza about GBT's mission-driven culture which led to the development of Oxbryta, the company's breakthrough sickle-cell treatment, as well as the specific challenges the company faced in tackling a rare orphan disease. GBT was acquired by Pfizer in October 2022, reinforcing their commitment to sick cell disease and continuing to build on their 30-year legacy in the rare hematology space.

Genetic medicine is poised to unlock more value for patients and investors due to disruptive technologies like mRNA, siRNA and gene editing. With an estimated 27 genetic medicines already approved, RBC's biotechnology analyst Luca Issi explains how these technologies could be used next, and why companies able to combine the right choice of intervention with strong execution may stand to benefit most.

In the latest episode of Pathfinders, our Healthcare technology analyst Sean Dodge explores a quiet but accelerating revolution in the way US healthcare works – and the new breed of companies poised to benefit.

In this latest episode, our head of biotech research Brian Abrahams shares a big picture analysis of the industry, outlining the long-term disruptions and opportunities ahead for biotech.

In the latest episode of Pathfinders, Noël Brown, Head of US Biotechnology Investment Banking at RBC Capital Markets, reveals why he's feeling optimistic about M&A in biopharma and how leading in biotech investment and corporates needs visionary long-term thinking.

In this episode, Dr. Chen Yu, Founder and Managing Partner at TCG X and Noël Brown, Head of U.S. Biotechnology Investment Banking at RBC Capital Markets, discuss why they remain optimistic about biotech and what's happening behind the scenes in public and private markets.

How are top investors navigating the longest biotech bear market in almost 20 years? RBC Capital Markets Healthcare Desk Sector Strategist Chris McCarthy talks to HealthCor's Ben Snedeker and Omega Funds founder Otello Stampacchia to find out.

What does it take to tackle the most perplexing orphan diseases? Ted W. Love, M.D., President and CEO, Global Blood Therapeutics (GBT), speaks with RBC Capital Markets' Senior Biotechnology Analyst Gregory Renza, M.D., about having a mission and the drive to succeed on this episode of Pathfinders.

In this episode of Pathfinders, Luca Issi, Senior Biotech Analyst at RBC Capital Markets, speaks with Beth Hougen, CFO of Ionis – a leading innovator in the development of antisense medicines and RNA-targeted therapeutics – to find out how the firm is embedding ESG into its vision, strategy and performance.

As biotech firms and large pharma companies find new synergies to bring new treatments to market together, Noël Brown, Managing Director and Head of US Biotechnology Investment Banking at RBC Capital Markets, interviews pharma industry veteran, now Biopharma Managing Director, Greg Wiederrecht on what it takes to ensure a strategic partnership not only survives, but thrives.

For biopharma companies, ESG commitments can look considerably different from other sectors. We spoke with the team of ESG leads at Gilead Sciences to understand the five key components driving its ESG strategy, how it's evolved and how it impacts their business. 

RBC Capital Markets' Noël Brown, Head of US Biotech Investment Banking, goes behind the scenes of one of the biggest biotech SPAC deals of the year with NuvationBio Founder and CEO, Dr. David Hung and Omega Funds Partner and President of its Omega Alpha SPAC, Michelle Doig. These two industry leaders at the cutting edge of biotech innovation and venture capital share how they brought NuvationBio's public market vision to fruition on the latest episode of RBC's Pathfinders podcast.

As more firms and investors look to SPACs as an IPO alternative, will this change the way biotech companies access public markets long-term? Our investment banking team goes inside the SPAC boom to explain what companies need to know before choosing their path to going public.

Luca Issi, Senior Biotechnology Research Analyst at RBC Capital Markets, discusses the art of building biopharma breakthroughs with Arjun Goyal, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Vida Ventures. Key PointsMaturation of the industry is increasing innovation and capital inflows Strong science, management and investors can keep the IPO window open

In this episode of Pathfinders, Brian Abrahams, Managing Director and Co-Head of Biotechnology Equity Research at RBC Capital Markets speaks with Andy Schwab, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at 5AM Ventures. Key PointsPrescription Digital Therapeutics will be vital to future treatment Unlocking microbiome could lead to better disease management

Even in a boom, many biotech executives may be unprepared for the risks involved in undertaking an IPO. Noël Brown and Tim Papp, Managing Directors focused on biotechnology in our Global Healthcare Investment Banking and Jason Levitz, Head of Healthcare Equity Capital Markets at RBC Capital Markets discuss the right steps to take, and the pitfalls to avoid, in today's markets.

In our launch edition of Pathfinders, we look at the best practices to follow on the road to IPO and the new predictive factors for success in today's buoyant biopharma markets.