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Murray McKinnon, who helped bring blockbuster drugs such as Stelara, Tremfya, and Remicade to market, has chosen to join Empress Therapeutics, a startup with fewer than 40 employees, after over 35 years at major pharmaceutical companies. The company, incubated by Flagship Pioneering, aims to use genetics to find small-molecule drugs within the human body. Its platform has already produced 15 molecules, with plans to submit multiple IND applications over the next 24 months.

Dr. Vivian Cheung is a rare disease researcher who herself has a rare disease, and she has filed a discrimination lawsuit against the Howard Hughes Medical Institute after her contract was not renewed in 2018. The case will go to trial on December 4. This article recounts her personal experiences, her laboratory's discoveries in RNA research, and the systemic neglect of disabled scientists in academia.

On the first anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Afaxys, a privately held pharmaceutical company named for 'affordability and accessibility,' is supplying oral contraceptives and other products to 8,400 health centers within the U.S. public health system through its unique low-margin, high-coverage model. CEO Ronda Dean, drawing from her own adolescent healthcare experiences, emphasizes the urgency of preserving the FDA approval system and the accessibility of reproductive health services.

This article reviews the journey of anti-TNF drugs from Centocor's failure to Remicade's success, and focuses on how 180 Life Sciences is extending this mature mechanism to new indications such as Dupuytren's contracture, postoperative cognitive decline, and frozen shoulder, while also developing synthetic cannabidiol analogs.

Colleen Acosta, CEO of Freya Biosciences, served as a WHO epidemiologist during the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. She applies the communication and persuasion skills learned from that experience to biotech entrepreneurship, including explaining science to investors, addressing skepticism, and advancing the development of microbial immunotherapy for women's health.

From a tank commander in the Saudi desert to Senior Vice President of GSK's US Anti-Infectives and Respiratory business, Court Horncastle's career spans two seemingly disparate worlds. In the military, he learned to navigate and lead in extreme environments; in pharma, he has channeled that sense of purpose into relentless drive to advance antibiotic innovation and serve patients. This article reviews his transition journey, leadership philosophy, and GSK's strategic re-entry into infectious diseases in the era of antimicrobial resistance.

Against the backdrop of the lingering aftermath of the opioid crisis, Tris Pharma is advancing clinical development of the new painkiller cebranopadol. The drug targets both NOP and MOP receptors, aiming to provide analgesic effects similar to traditional opioids while reducing side effects such as euphoria, respiratory depression, and physical dependence. The company's founder and CEO, Ketan Mehta, states that rebuilding industry trust is the biggest challenge and plans to present the drug's value through transparent data.

Rachel King had already retired, but BIO's call brought her back to the industry frontline. Facing the turmoil following the former CEO's departure, her primary task is to stabilize the organization. Now, she is leading BIO in addressing the treatment disparities between small-molecule and large-molecule drugs under the Inflation Reduction Act, defending the FDA's accelerated approval pathway, while also paying attention to capital formation, workforce diversity, and PBM transparency.

In the 'A Day in the Life of a Pharma Executive' series, we follow Lyndra Therapeutics CEO Patricia Hurter to see how she balances her equestrian hobby with company management, and review the company's recent progress in the Phase III trial of an oral once-weekly schizophrenia treatment, as well as her experience responding to the Silicon Valley Bank crisis.

Daniela Marino, CEO of Swiss biotech company Cutiss, is driving the clinical development of denovoSkin, a personalized bioengineered skin graft, with her signature passion and determination, aiming to change the standard of burn treatment.