Biotech 2050 Podcast

Synopsis:

In an industry often defined by rapid innovation and high-stakes science, long-term success in biotech requires more than breakthrough discoveries—it demands strategic clarity, resilient leadership, and a deep understanding of unmet patient needs. In this engaging conversation, Rahul Chaturvedi sits down with Robert Jacks, President & CEO of Sparrow Pharmaceuticals, to explore his unconventional journey from civil engineering to biotech leadership, the lessons learned from building and exiting successful companies, and why creating lasting value should take precedence over chasing acquisitions.
Robert reflects on his career spanning Pfizer, entrepreneurship, venture capital at OrbiMed, and leading multiple biotech companies, sharing how his experiences shaped his approach to leadership, capital allocation, and company building. He explains why influence matters more than authority, how empathy creates stronger organizations, and why keeping biotech companies lean allows them to remain resilient throughout unpredictable funding cycles.

The conversation then explores Sparrow Pharmaceuticals' evolution from a rare disease company into a precision medicine leader focused on difficult-to-control type 2 diabetes. Robert provides an in-depth look at the emerging science behind cortisol biology, HSD1 inhibition, and why excess intracellular cortisol may represent one of the industry's most overlooked drivers of metabolic disease. He also discusses Sparrow's recent clinical data, the rationale behind its strategic pivot, the future of patient stratification in cardiometabolic disease, and how Sparrow aims to complement—not compete with—the rapidly expanding GLP-1 landscape.

From fundraising and leadership philosophy to clinical development strategy and the next frontier of precision medicine, this episode offers practical insights for biotech founders, investors, and industry leaders navigating the complexities of building enduring biotech companies.

Biography:

Robert has 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. He has founded or co-founded multiple companies and raised more than $300 million. Previously, Robert was the President & CEO of Indalo Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing therapeutics for serious fibrotic diseases, and President, CFO, and Co-Founder of Symbiomix Therapeutics, which was sold after achieving NDA approval for Solosec®. Robert also previously held the positions of Head of Corporate Development for Tobira Therapeutics, Head of Business Development for ACT Biotech, and Entrepreneur-in-Residence for OrbiMed Advisors.

Robert began his pharmaceutical industry career in finance and product development at Pfizer, where he last worked as the Director of Business Development for Oncology and Infectious Diseases. Robert earned an MBA from Columbia Business School, an MSE in Civil Engineering from Stanford University, and a BSE in Civil Engineering from Duke University. When not solving intractable healthcare problems, Robert spends as much time as possible with his two daughters.

Synopsis:

While biotech is increasingly measured by clinical milestones and financial outcomes, Rahul Chaturvedi welcomes two leaders who argue that true success begins and ends with patients. In this deeply personal and inspiring conversation, Mike Raab, President & Chief Executive Officer of Ardelyx, and Laura Williams, Chief Patient Officer, share how empathy, resilience, and patient advocacy have shaped both their careers and the culture of the company they’ve built.

Mike reflects on an unconventional journey that spans pharmaceutical sales, rare disease leadership at Genzyme, venture capital at NEA, and ultimately leading Ardelyx through some of biotech’s most difficult challenges—including a Complete Response Letter, massive layoffs, and a historic FDA reversal that resulted in approval without additional clinical trials. Laura shares her path from rural Mississippi to becoming a physician, recounting the transformative patient experience during the HIV epidemic that inspired her move from academia into industry and ultimately into a pioneering Chief Patient Officer role.

Together, they explore what patient-centricity truly means beyond corporate slogans, how Ardelyx embedded patient advocacy into the C-suite, and why empathy must be a core competency for biotech leadership. The discussion also dives into clinical trial diversity, commercializing therapies for underserved populations, navigating regulatory adversity, responsible capital allocation, and the future of building enduring biotech companies. It is a powerful reminder that when patients become the North Star, resilience, innovation, and impact naturally follow.

Biography:

Mike Raab
Mike has served as Ardelyx’s President and Chief Executive Officer since March 2009. Before Ardelyx, Mike was a partner at New Enterprise Associates (NEA), one of the world’s largest and most successful venture capital firms, where he specialized in healthcare investments focusing on the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors.
Prior to joining NEA in 2002, Mike spent 15 years in commercial and operating leadership roles in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. He was senior vice president, therapeutics and general manager of the renal division at Genzyme Corporation, a Sanofi company. In this position, Mike launched and oversaw the sales growth of sevelamer, the leading phosphate binder for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia, with over $1.0 billion in worldwide sales in 2013. Mike was also instrumental in the worldwide launch of Genzyme’s therapies for Gaucher disease, Ceredase and Cerezyme.

Laura Williams, MD, MPH
Laura has served as Ardelyx’s Chief Patient Officer since 2025, having joined the company in November 2020 as Senior Vice President, Global Therapeutic Strategies and Patient Advocacy. Laura was later promoted to Chief Medical Officer in 2021.
Laura is a life science enterprise leader with extensive experience as a pharmaceutical drug developer, healthcare policy advisor, patient advocate, and portfolio strategist. She is an accomplished, results-oriented, physician scientist and board member who is committed to discovering, developing, and commercializing innovative therapies that address unmet medical need. With nearly 30 years of pharmaceutical experience, across all clinical development phases and multiple therapeutic areas, in both large pharma and smaller biotech, Laura has a proven track-record in drug development, as indicated by her leadership and major contributions toward eight drug approvals.

Synopsis:

At the intersection of personal mission and biotech leadership, Rahul Chaturvedi sits down with Catherine Owen Adams, CEO of Acadia Pharmaceuticals, for a deeply personal and strategically rich conversation on leadership, commercialization, and the future of neuropsychiatry. From starting as a pharmacist in the UK to pivoting from R&D into commercial leadership at Johnson & Johnson, rising through Bristol Myers Squibb, and ultimately stepping into her first biotech CEO role at Acadia, Catherine shares how storytelling became the throughline of her career—transforming science into physician trust, investor conviction, and enterprise vision.

In this episode, Catherine opens up about the personal family experiences with neurodegenerative disease that made Acadia’s focus on CNS and rare disease feel like her “Goldilocks opportunity.” She offers a candid look at the realities of being a first-time CEO, managing investor ecosystems, building the right C-suite, balancing billion-dollar commercial execution with high-risk R&D, and navigating the emotional stakes of developing therapies for Parkinson’s disease psychosis, Alzheimer’s disease psychosis, Rett syndrome, and beyond.

Rahul and Catherine also explore the seismic shifts reshaping biotech—from AI-powered commercialization and patient services to policy advocacy through BIO, FDA modernization, and the strategic pressures facing CNS innovation. This episode is both a masterclass in biotech leadership and a powerful reminder that the best CEOs don’t just run companies—they tell stories that move science, markets, and patients forward.

Biography:

Ms. Owen Adams joined Acadia as Chief Executive Officer and as a member of our Board of Directors in September 2024.

Ms. Owen Adams has over 25 years of executive level experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Acadia, Ms. Owen Adams served as Senior Vice President and General Manager, U.S., at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), where she led a $20 billion commercial business, overseeing a large and diverse portfolio of promoted brands across Oncology, Cardiovascular, and Immunology. Previously, Ms. Owen Adams held the position of Senior Vice President, Head of Major Markets at BMS, where she led commercial operations leading 6,000 employees across 19 countries in Europe, Japan, and Canada during BMS’s merger with Celgene. Prior to her tenure at BMS, Ms. Owen Adams spent 25 years at Johnson & Johnson (J&J), where she held leadership roles across global, U.S., and European business units, with her last position being President, Janssen Immunology U.S. Ms. Owen Adams began her career in R&D and manufacturing at AstraZeneca.

Ms. Owen Adams currently serves on the board of directors of Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a publicly held company, and AssistRx, a privately held company. Ms. Owen Adams was formerly on the board of directors and chair of the compensation committee for Optinose PLC, a public specialty pharmaceutical company, and was on the board of directors of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospitals, a non-profit organization. Ms. Owen Adams earned a BSc. in Pharmacy from the University of Manchester, becoming a qualified pharmacist and member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (MRPhS).

Synopsis:

This episode is proudly sponsored by Quartzy.

At a time when biotech innovation is being reshaped by science, capital, and global dynamics, Alok Tayi sits down with Barry Quart, CEO of Connect Biopharma, for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of asthma and COPD treatment.

With over 30 years in pharmaceutical R&D and nine FDA-approved drugs to his name, Barry shares a rare insider perspective on building and scaling biotech companies—from pioneering HIV therapies that reshaped the AIDS epidemic to leading next-generation biologics targeting acute asthma exacerbations. He unpacks Connect’s differentiated IL-4 receptor biology, the untapped opportunity in acute care settings, and why innovation has lagged for decades in treating exacerbations despite millions of ER visits annually.

The conversation also explores the realities of running a publicly traded biotech in volatile markets, the evolving role of China in global drug discovery, and how leaders navigate geopolitical complexity while advancing science. As Connect approaches key clinical catalysts, this episode offers a compelling look at where biotech innovation, capital, and global strategy intersect.

Biography:

Dr. Barry Quart is the CEO of Connect Biopharma, (Nasdaq: CNTB), a clinical-stage company developing therapies for acute exacerbations of inflammatory diseases, such as asthma and COPD. Barry is currently leading the company’s development of rademikibart, a best-in-class antibody that targets interleukin-4 receptor alpha (IL-4Rα) and reduces severe flare-ups called “exacerbations” that can occur with asthma and COPD and can lead to hospitalization and even death. Connect is the first company to enter this space addressing acute exacerbations of inflammatory diseases.

Dr. Quart is a recognized industry leader with over 30 years of leadership experience and nine FDA-approved drugs under his belt. Barry brings deep expertise in drug development, biotech strategy, and bringing breakthrough therapies to the market. He holds a PharmD from the University of California, San Francisco.

Synopsis:

Addiction is often misunderstood as a failure of willpower—but emerging science increasingly shows it may be deeply rooted in biology.

In this episode of Biotech 2050, recorded during JPM 2026 in San Francisco, host Alok Tayi speaks with Cary Claiborne, CEO of Adial Pharmaceuticals, about a new precision-medicine approach to tackling one of the world’s most widespread and undertreated conditions: alcohol use disorder.

Cary shares the personal and professional journey that brought him into addiction medicine—from a career in finance at global corporations to helping take pioneering biotech companies public and ultimately leading Adial’s mission to address addiction through science. After losing a close family member to addiction, Cary became determined to focus his work on diseases where innovation could create meaningful societal impact.

The discussion explores Adial’s genetically targeted therapy, designed to reduce alcohol cravings without requiring patients to stop drinking entirely. Cary explains how their repurposed low-dose therapy, paired with a simple cheek-swab diagnostic test, could help identify the patients most likely to benefit—bringing a precision-medicine framework to addiction treatment, an area that has seen little therapeutic innovation in more than two decades.

Alok and Cary also examine the broader landscape of addiction science, the societal costs of untreated alcohol use disorder, and how AI-driven clinical simulations are helping design smarter Phase III trials. Looking ahead, Cary discusses how this scientific platform could expand into other impulse-driven conditions, including opioid addiction, gambling, and compulsive behaviors.

It’s a compelling conversation about precision psychiatry, addiction medicine, and the future of neuropsychiatric drug development.

Biography:

Cary Claiborne was named Chief Executive Officer of Adial Pharmaceuticals in August 2022 after previously being appointed Chief Operating Officer in December 2021 and being named to the Board of Directors. Mr. Claiborne previously served as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and board member of Indivior PLC, a publicly traded specialty pharmaceutical company developing medicines to treat addiction and serious mental illnesses. Among his accomplishments, Mr. Claiborne led the company’s spin off from its then parent company, Reckitt Benckiser, to become an independent, listed company. While at Indivior, he established and oversaw corporate reporting, internal audit, tax, treasury, external audit, and information technology. Prior to joining Indivior, Mr. Claiborne served as the CFO of Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a global biopharmaceutical company, which was later sold to Mallinckrodt. Before joining Sucampo, Mr. Claiborne served as CFO and Corporate Secretary of Osiris Therapeutics, Inc., and oversaw corporate finance during the company’s initial public offering. He graduated from Rutgers University with a B.A. in Business Administration and from Villanova University with an M.B.A. and was a National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Governance Fellow.