The Top Line

Hosted by Fierce Life Sciences

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Episodes

100

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Biopharma and medtech explained. Every week, journalists from Fierce Biotech, Fierce Medtech, and Fierce Pharma recount the latest industry trends and why they matter. We'll analyze the week's biggest business news, from mergers and marketing to drug R&D and device development. Available every Friday morning.

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60 recent

June 16, 202620 min

FDA Breakthrough Therapy and RMAT: Strategic Decisions That Can Accelerate Oncology Development (Sponsored)

In this sponsored episode of The Top Line, host Stephanie Butler is joined by Sheila Plant, vice president of regulatory affairs at Allucent, to examine how FDA Breakthrough Therapy and RMAT designations can support more strategic oncology development. Although both pathways are intended to speed development, they are not interchangeable. Plant outlines the key distinctions, noting that Breakthrough Therapy requires evidence of substantial improvement over existing treatments, while RMAT centers on early clinical signals that indicate potential to address unmet medical needs. The conversation also explores the strategic choices that determine whether sponsors are ready to pursue these designations, from building a credible data package to designing trials with clinically meaningful endpoints and keeping manufacturing readiness aligned with development timelines. Once a designation is granted, closer collaboration with the FDA can help sponsors navigate development with more dynamic feedback. But as Plant emphasizes, these pathways deliver the greatest value when they are part of a disciplined regulatory strategy. Listen now to learn how sponsors can approach expedited pathways with greater clarity and position oncology programs for meaningful acceleration.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

June 12, 202615 min

Ipsen R&D chief on pipeline discipline, partnerships and 2026 milestones

In this episode of “The Top Line,” recorded on site at Fierce Biotech Week in Boston, Fierce’s Ayla Ellison sits down with Christelle Huguet, Ph.D., executive vice president and head of R&D at Ipsen, to discuss how the company is building its pipeline through external innovation while maintaining internal scientific accountability. Huguet explains Ipsen’s approach to partnering, describing the company as an “accelerator” that helps move promising science from academic labs and biotech partners toward patients. She also discusses how Ipsen evaluates which programs move forward, why transparency with partners is essential from the start and what the company is watching as it heads into a year with several key clinical and regulatory milestones. To learn more about the topics in this episode:  Ipsen unveils data for Botox rival that drove long-acting anti-wrinkle jab into phase 3 Ipsen scuttles liver disease candidates from $952M Albireo acquisition See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

June 10, 202618 min

Why MRD is becoming central to oncology drug development (Sponsored)

In this sponsored episode of The Top Line, experts from Myriad Genetics join host Stephanie Butler to examine how tumor-informed molecular residual disease, or MRD, testing is beginning to redefine what early insight can mean in oncology drug development. As biomarker-driven therapies become more precise, the ability to understand response earlier and more clearly is increasingly being viewed as foundational to smarter development strategy. The discussion looks at how ultrasensitive, tumor-informed MRD assays can help track response over time, potentially surface deeper signals earlier and inform decisions that shape trial design, patient selection and regulatory direction. It also considers why these capabilities may become more important as oncology programs face growing pressure to balance speed, flexibility and evidence generation. Listeners will hear why early diagnostic strategy is increasingly seen as a competitive differentiator, how MRD can help teams make better decisions sooner and why its role in oncology development is expected to continue to evolve and expand.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

June 5, 202629 min

Behind the headlines of ASCO 2026

Each year, the global oncology community flocks to Chicago to convene at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting for a weekend of buzzy data drops, practice-changing posters and insightful sessions.   In this week’s episode of "The Top Line," Fierce Biotech and Fierce Pharma’s Darren Incorvaia, Zoey Becker and Angus Liu break down the biggest takeaways from their weekend of reporting live from the Windy City. From “nutty” in vivo CAR-T data to a historic first for a Chinese biotech asset, ASCO 2026 reflected new and continuing trends within the evolving state of cancer care today.   To learn more about the topics in this episode:   ASCO: Revolution Medicines confident in RAS leadership as rivals square up  ASCO: Lilly exec points to ‘nutty’ 100% response rate for in vivo CAR-T as justifying Kelonia buyout  ASCO preview: With expectations jacked up, Akeso's ivonescimab to face scrutiny in high-stakes plenary  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

June 3, 202621 min

Mesutoclax points to possible shift in high-risk MDS and AML (Sponsored)

High‑risk MDS and AML continue to challenge clinicians, with limited durable responses and few options for older or treatment‑refractory patients. In this sponsored episode of The Top Line, host Stephanie Butler is joined by Dr. Amer Zeidan, Professor of Internal Medicine at Yale School of Medicine, to unpack new ASCO 2026 data that are drawing attention across the myeloid malignancies field.The discussion focuses on mesutoclax, a novel oral BCL‑2 inhibitor evaluated in combination with azacitidine. Dr. Zeidan breaks down early findings showing a 100% objective response rate with CR rate of 40% per IWG 2006 criteria and 90% composite complete response with CR in 60% in treatment‑naïve high‑risk MDS, along with strong efficacy and encouraging safety signals in AML, with over 80% composite CR, and with potent activity in TP53 mutant, as well as zero death within 30 or 60 days and rapid cytopenia recovery.Listeners will hear how mesutoclax’s potency, selectivity, and pharmacokinetic profile may overcome key limitations of existing BCL‑2 inhibitors, and what these results could mean for future frontline treatment strategies.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 29, 202635 min

Boston, China and the future of biotech

Boston remains biotech's most influential hub, but the questions facing the region are increasingly global. Recorded live at Fierce Biotech Week in Boston, this panel discussion brings together Uli Stilz, senior advisor at Flagship Pioneering; Bruce Beutel, CEO and co-founder of PassKey; and Ben Bradford, head of external affairs at MassBio, for a conversation about the future of biotech innovation. Moderated by Senior Writer Darren Incorvaia, the discussion explores everything from funding pressures and talent trends to AI, clinical development and growing competition from biotech ecosystems around the world. Along the way, the panelists debate what the industry can learn from China's rapid innovation model, why investors and pharma companies have shifted toward clinically validated assets and whether biotech needs a fundamentally new operating model to accelerate drug development and bring breakthrough science to patients. To learn more about the topics in this episode:  After 230% deal size explosion, China is no longer the 'bargain basement' for biopharma licensing: analyst Facing mounting China licensing costs, biopharma buyers turn to AI and local know-how to keep up As calls for COINS Act expansion grow, will new rules sweep up China biotech licensing? From drug development to M&A, Big Pharmas showcase AI’s ‘measurable impact’ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 28, 20269 min

Why direct-to-patient is the future of pharma access (Sponsored)

Direct-to-patient models are no longer an experiment - they're becoming a critical part of the modern prescription journey. In this sponsored episode of The Top Line, host Kelly Hogan talks with Jeremy Richardson, chief commercial officer at GiftHealth, about how DTP is redefining access, transparency and speed in pharma commercialization. Richardson shares insights from more than a decade in specialty pharmacy and explains where the traditional model breaks down for patients and providers. He addresses common misconceptions about DTP, including the belief that it only works for cash-pay or consumer-driven drugs, and outlines how a single, seamless platform can support medications across therapeutic areas and price points. With experience guiding more than 7 million patients through their prescription journeys, Richardson discusses what manufacturers truly need from a DTP partner, how technology can accelerate time to therapy and why ease and transparency are becoming nonnegotiable expectations. He also looks ahead to where the prescription journey is headed - and what pharma commercial leaders must do now to keep pace.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 22, 202612 min

BioAge CEO talks NLRP3 and ‘pipeline in a pill’ ambitions

Recorded last week at Fierce Biotech Week in Boston, this episode of “The Top Line” features a conversation with Kristen Fortney, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of BioAge Labs. In a conversation with Ayla Ellison, editor-in-chief of Fierce Healthcare and Life Sciences, Fortney discusses the company’s decade-long effort to use human aging data to identify drug targets tied to longevity and age-related disease. She also breaks down BioAge’s oral NLRP3 inhibitor, BGE-102, which the company believes could have applications across cardiovascular, ocular and CNS diseases by targeting inflammation linked to aging biology. The conversation also explores why pharma companies are paying closer attention to aging and exercise biology, how GLP-1 drugs are reshaping conversations around prevention and what the future of aging-related medicine could look like. To learn more about the topics in this episode:  BioAge CEO has big plans for 'multi-disease impact' of NLRP3 drug across cardio, ocular and CNS Novartis, BioAge take on age-related diseases in $550M pact What can we learn from 2024’s biotech IPOs? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 18, 202628 min

Designing an agentic, future‑ready tech roadmap for emerging pharma (Sponsored)

Emerging pharma organizations face unique technology challenges as they prepare for launch. Expectations for AI-enabled decision-making continue to rise, even as teams remain small and operate in highly regulated environments. In this sponsored episode of The Top Line, Fierce Biotech host Kelly Hogan speaks with JR Raelin, executive director of analytics and insight at SynOx Therapeutics and Krishna GS, business technology solutions manager at ZS, about how first-launch and emerging companies can design an agentic future-ready technology road map. The conversation examines common pitfalls, including chasing new technology and AI trends before establishing data readiness, underinvesting in integration, and relying on fragmented point solutions. Raelin and Krishna explain why strong data foundations, governance, and interoperability are prerequisites for. and how agentic AI—when built on that foundation—can close the gap between insight and action in real commercial workflows. Listeners will also hear a framework for scaling platforms over time, guidance on what effective implementation looks like in the first 60 to 90 days, and examples of connected workflows across commercial, medical, and patient functions. The episode closes with a compelling case for why the agentic roadmap is the most important strategic asset a first-launch company builds before its second product—and how getting it right converts a single launch into a portfolio intelligence engine.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 15, 202622 min

Health execs persevere in new policy landscape

Despite a prolonged period of policy uncertainty in the U.S.—and the ripple effects across the global life sciences and healthcare industries—executives at health companies are still seeing opportunities amid the tumult. In many cases, they’re finding that the resilient business models they built through disruptions like the pandemic have positioned their companies not just to survive, but to thrive in a new normal for the industry. In this episode of “The Top Line,” Fierce Pharma’s Fraiser Kansteiner chats with Glenn Hunzinger, PwC’s U.S. health industries leader, about results from the firm’s recent survey on investor sentiment. Focusing on health companies, Hunzinger explains how many innovative drugmakers have managed to capitalize on the shifting environment. Still, he warns that a more uncertain landscape for U.S. innovation and continued tariff pressures on sectors such as medtech could pose challenges down the line. To learn more about the topics in this episode:  AstraZeneca CEO's conservative MFN model excludes reference markets from forecast As Johnson & Johnson navigates changing tariff landscape, execs lay out their expectations Trump eyes 100% tariff rate for companies that have not struck MFN deals: Bloomberg See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.