On this week’s episode FirstWord Pharma PLUS editors Virginia Li, Michael Flanagan and Simon King look ahead to the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) which is taking place this weekend in New Orleans.

The FirstTake Podcast – The FDA faces up to a tricky ALS regulatory decision, Roche’s TIGIT setback and more…

Mar 31st, 2022 16m 38s

On this week’s episode Virginia Li discusses the closely watched FDA AdCom meeting for Amylyx’s ALS therapy AMX0035, which saw experts vote narrowly against Amylyx having shown sufficient efficacy for the drug from a single clinical study. Simo

The FirstTake Podcast – A landmark cancer approval, Pfizer’s Arena deal delivers and the expert view on recent breast cancer developments

Mar 24th, 2022 12m 55s

On this week’s episode editors Virginia Li and Simon King discuss FDA approval of the first novel checkpoint inhibitor for eight years – Bristol Myers Squibb’s LAG-3 inhibitor relatlimab – and evaluate positive data for Pfizer’s etrasimod, whic

The FirstTake Podcast – Sanofi’s breast cancer hopeful fails to deliver

Mar 17th, 2022 14m 50s

On this week’s episode FirstWord Pharma PLUS editors Virginia Li and Simon King discuss an unexpected corporate re-manoeuvring around Biogen and Eisai’s controversial Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm and disappointing clinical data for Sanofi’s breast

The FirstTake Podcast – Gilead’s oncology strategy under the spotlight

Mar 10th, 2022 15m 40s

On this week’s episode FirstWord Pharma PLUS editors Michael Flanagan and Simon King discuss why Gilead is getting flak for a positive cancer drug study, what’s gone wrong at bluebird bio and why the FDA has been so quick to expand approval of

The FirstTake Podcast – Where next for gene editing?

Mar 3rd, 2022 11m 39s

On this week’s episode FirstWord Pharma PLUS editors Virginia Li, Michael Flanagan and Simon King discuss key developments in the field of gene editing, the approval of Janssen and Legend Biotech’s Carvykti for multiple myeloma and whether inte

The FirstTake Podcast – Does a paradigm shift in breast cancer beckon?

Feb 24th, 2022 12m 24s

This week FirstWord Pharma PLUS editors Michael Flanagan, Virginia Li and Simon King discuss confirmation of positive top-line data for AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo’s Enhertu in HER2 ‘low’ breast cancer, the implications stemming from Amicus

The FirstTake Podcast – More questions than answers for Sage and Biogen

Feb 17th, 2022 12m 28s

FirstWord Pharma PLUS editors Virginia Li and Simon King discuss Phase III clinical data for a new depression therapy being co-developed by Sage Therapeutics and Biogen, the FDA’s new - but also old – commissioner, Robert Califf, whose reappoin

The FirstTake Podcast – AdCom upset for Lilly and Innovent

Feb 10th, 2022 13m 54s

FirstWord Pharma PLUS editors Michael Flanagan, Virginia Li and Simon King discuss Eli Lilly’s attempt to bring price disruption to the US cancer immunotherapy market, Pfizer and Amgen’s future growth strategies and some new diabetes drugs to k

The FirstTake Podcast – More Aduhelm fallout and JP Morgan wraps for another year

Jan 13th, 2022 10m 58s

FirstWord Pharma PLUS editors Michael Flanagan, Virginia Li and Simon King discuss another setback for Biogen’s Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm – this time at the hands of the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services – and highlight key takeaways fr

The FirstTake Podcast – Previewing next week’s JP Morgan healthcare conference

Jan 6th, 2022 15m 51s

FirstWord Pharma PLUS editors Michael Flanagan and Simon King discuss the biopharma news of their radars this week and look ahead to next week’s JP Morgan Healthcare conference, which due to the pandemic will take place virtually for the second

The FirstTake Podcast – Does 2022 promise a bumper year in pharma M&A?

Dec 17th, 2021 17m 38s

FirstWord Pharma PLUS editors Michael Flanagan, Virginia Li and Simon King discuss whether a spate of deals this week is evidence of an eventful year ahead for bio-pharma M&A, take a closer look at Pfizer’s acquisition of Arena Pharmaceuticals

The FirstTake Podcast – Three doses are better than two

Dec 10th, 2021 15m 5s

FirstWord Pharma PLUS editors Michael Flanagan, Virginia Li and Simon King discuss preliminary data for Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine versus Omicron, preview the upcoming annual meeting of the American Hematology Society (ASH) and revi

The First Take – Pharma's pandemic takes a new twist

Dec 3rd, 2021 10m 3s

FirstWord Pharma PLUS editors Matthew Dennis and Simon King discuss the potential impact of the Omicron variant on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, how GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi are making moves to keep their vaccines portfolios at the cutti

The First Take – Pfizer’s antiviral haul, BMS lays out a growth strategy and Biogen’s week to forget

Nov 25th, 2021 13m 15s

FirstWord Pharma PLUS editors Virginia Li, Michael Flanagan and Simon King discuss more developments in the race to bring COVID-19 antivirals to patients, Bristol Myers Squibb’s long term outlook and the pending departure of veteran Al Sandrock

The First Take – Pfizer makes migraine move

Nov 18th, 2021 13m 26s

FirstWord Pharma PLUS editors Virginia Li, Michael Flanagan and Simon King discuss impressive data for Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral drug, its deal this week to partner up with migraine specialist Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, what the future holds f

The First Take – Novartis sells Roche stake for big bucks

Nov 4th, 2021 17m 31s

FirstWord Pharma PLUS editors Virginia Li, Michael Flanagan and Simon King discuss Novartis’ $20 billion windfall from the sale of its 33% stake in crosstown rival Roche, Big Pharma’s increasing interest in protein degradation drugs, Pfizer’s e

The First Take – Q3 earnings season kicks into gear

Oct 28th, 2021 16m 56s

FirstWord Pharma PLUS editors Virginia Li, Michael Flanagan and Simon King discuss notable highlights from Big Pharma’s third quarter earnings season and the formation of a new gene therapy consortium which includes the FDA and NIH among its fo

The First Take – Biogen banks on Medicare decision to rescue Aduhelm

Oct 21st, 2021 36m 37s

FirstWord Pharma PLUS editors Michael Flanagan and Simon King discuss the early commercial performance of Biogen’s Aduhelm, a setback in the field of COVID-19 antivirals and a landmark approval for the US biosimilars market.

The FirstTake - CAR-T, early-stage breast cancer and OX40

Oct 15th, 2021 20m 29s

In this episode editors Virginia Li, Michael Flanagan and Simon King talk about notable new disclosures in the field of allogeneic CART therapy, look at the approval of Eli Lilly’s Verzenio for early stage breast cancer, gauge whether early dat

The FirstTake Podcast – 30 September 2021

Sep 30th, 2021 10m 9s

In this episode, FirstWord Pharma PLUS editors Virginia Li, Michael Flanagan and Simon King discuss the week’s key industry news headlines, dig deeper into recent developments in the field of graft versus host disease and talk about the latest

The FirstTake Podcast – 23 September 2021

Sep 23rd, 2021 13m 36s

In this episode, FirstWord Pharma PLUS editors Virginia Li, Michael Flanagan and Simon King share their post-ESMO thoughts on exciting new clinical data in HER2-positive breast cancer, further emergence of the KRAS inhibitors into colorectal ca

The FirstTake Podcast – 16 September 2021

Sep 16th, 2021 14m 23s

In this episode editors Virginia Li, Michael Flanagan and Simon King discuss AbbVie’s deal to in-license an investigational gene therapy for age related macular degeneration from Regenxbio, an increasing focus on mRNA vaccines and therapeutics

The FirstTake Podcast – Sanofi’s M&A hunt continues

Sep 9th, 2021 21m 51s

In this episode, editors Michael Flanagan and Simon King discuss Sanofi’s latest acquisition, ongoing safety concerns around gene therapies and expert feedback on anti-Tau therapies for Alzheimer’s disease.

The FirstTake Podcast – JAKs, Jardiance and booster shots

Sep 2nd, 2021 26m 53s

In this episode editors Michael Flanagan and Simon King the FDA’s new safety labelling for JAK inhibitors, impressive new data for Jardiance in heart failure and controversy around COVID-19 booster shots.