TJOLS Podcasts - The Burrill Report

The Burrill Report (March 8, 2010): Consumer Group Sues Over Health Insurance Increases (.MP3,10.81 Mb)
Anthem Blue Cross, California’s biggest for profit health insurance company, has been on the hot seat lately. Its plan to raise premiums on policies for individuals by as much as 39 percent landed the CEO of its parent company, Wellpoint, in front of a Congressional committee and reignighted efforts in Washington to pass healthcare reform legislation. Now the advocacy group ConsumerWatchdog has filed a class-action lawsuit against Anthem over the rate increases saying they violate California law. We spoke to Jerry Flanagan, healthcare policy director for ConsumerWatchdog, about his group’s lawsuit, what Anthem’s actions mean for reform, and why the proposed healthcare legislation wouldn’t have prevented Anthem from instituting the rate increases in the first place.

A Battle Brews for Control of Genzyme (.MP3,8.71 Mb)
In 2009, Genzyme stumbled as a viral contamination halted production at a key manufacturing plant, caused drug shortages for the company, and eventually financial disappointment to its investors. The missteps have left the smell of blood in the water and now activist investor Carl Ichan is seeking to win four board seats and wrest control of the company from its CEO Henri Termeer. We spoke to Adam Feuerstein, senior columnist for TheStreet.com, about Ichan’s efforts, what it means for Termeer and Genzyme, and how other biotechs that have fallen in the investor’s grasp have fared.
The Burrill Report: (February 22, 2010): Why Biotech Is Worried About The Fight Over Gene Patents (.MP3,10.38 Mb)
It would have seemed that the question over whether or not genes could be patented was settled long ago, but ongoing legal battles and a report earlier this month from an advisory committee to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services threaten, in the words of one industry group, to “unravel” the foundation of life science innovation in this country. Opponents say gene patents impede critical research and make important new diagnostics unnecessarily expensive, but industry argues they fuel innovation and bring important breakthroughs to patients. We spoke to Ken Chahine, visiting professor of law at the University of Utah about the recent report, the ongoing legal battles, and what’s at stake for the biotech industry, as well as patients.
The Burrill Report (February 15, 2010): Why Pharmaceutical Companies Need To Rethink Their Business Models (.MP3,10.43 Mb)
Pharmaceutical companies will need to rethink their strategies as the world in which they operate undergoes dramatic changes. Patients, armed with unprecedented access to information, are being transformed from passive participants to superconsumers of healthcare services. Drugmakers will need to rethink not only how they approach them, but how to forge partnerships with nontraditional healthcare players that are helping to usher in this new era from telecommunications carriers to information technology device makers. We spoke to Carolyn Buck Luce, global pharmaceutical sector leader for Ernst & Young, about these changes, how pharmaceutical companies will need to alter their business models, and whether or not drugmakers are ready for what lies ahead.
The Burrill Report (February 8, 2010): Why GINA Can Be Problematic in the Workplace (.MP3,8.15 Mb)
A policy approved by The University of Akron last summer – before the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act took effect – required criminal background checks for nearly all prospective employees, including the possible collection of DNA samples. The policy was retracted following a public outcry, but it left uncertainty about how GINA applies to employers’ law enforcement efforts. Shawneequa Callier, a post doctoral fellow at the Center for Genetic Research, Ethics, and Law in the Bioethics Department at Case Western Reserve University co-authored an essay on the controversy in the latest Hastings Center Report. We spoke to Callier about the UA case, how it played out against the implementation of GINA and why enforcement of the new law can be problematic.

The Burrill Report (February 1, 2010): With Healthcare Reform Uncertain, BIO's Policy Fights Remain (.MP3,9.31 Mb)
As President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union Address, healthcare reform legislation, as one Senator described, was on life support. The Democrats, losing their supermajority in the Senate, say they are not ready to pull the plug on the bill, but as of now the path forward is unclear. We spoke to Jim Greenwood, president and CEO of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, about the uncertainty surrounding healthcare reform, what it means for such issues as follow-on biologics, and what the industry’s policy agenda looks like for 2010.
The Burrill Report (January 25, 2010): Where Healthcare Reform Goes After Massachusetts (.MP3,11.33 Mb)
Not long ago it seemed healthcare reform legislation was sure to be signed, sealed and delivered in time for President Obama’s State of the Union address. But the dramatic upset in Massachusetts that has resulted in Republican Scott Brown winning the seat held by long-time healthcare reform advocate Ted Kennedy has thrown the Democrats plan on its head as Brown represents the 41st vote for the Republicans, which gives them the ability to shut down the legislation. We spoke to Peter Pitts, president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest about where the Democrats went wrong, what Brown’s election means for healthcare reform and where we go from here.
The Burrill Report: (January 18. 2010): Biotechs Adjust to the New Normal (.MP3,16.34 Mb)
Chris Starr has lived through biotech windows, cycles, and bubbles. An industry veteran, today he is CEO and co-founder of Raptor Pharmaceuticals, which works on improving existing drugs through its targeting platform and formulation expertise. Like many executives, Starr has had to prioritize his pipeline and find ways to raise money during tough times. We talked to Starr about the changing environment for biotechs, how he’s adapted, and as times improve, whether or not there’s a new normal.
The Burrill Report (January 11, 2010): New drug approvals improve in 2009 as more biologics get the green light (.MP3,11.84 Mb)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved 26 new drugs in 2009, besting 2008 by a hair, according to Washington Analysis, which provides research to institutional investors. The number of new approvals for small molecule drugs actually fell slightly, while the number of new biologics approved grew. We spoke to Ira Loss, senior health policy analyst with Washington Analysis, about the numbers, whether they reflect a push by Big Pharma into biologics, and whether the FDA under a new administration is faring any better.
The Burrill Report: (January 4, 2010): Will the Biotech Industry See Its Own Shadow at JPMorgan? (.MP3,9.42 Mb)

The biotechnology industry is gearing up for the annual JPMorgan Healthcare conference, the key annual meeting that kicks off the New Year for the industry. Last year the dismal economy cast a long shadow at the normally upbeat conference, but much has changed since then. We spoke to the Adam Feuerstein, Senior Columnist TheStreet.com about how far the industry has come during the past year, what he’ll be looking for at this year’s conference and whether or not biotech executives will be in a celebratory mood once again.