The Top Line

As artificial intelligence continues to dominate conversations across life sciences, many companies are reaching an inflection point between experimentation and real-world impact. In a recent episode of The Top Line, Mark Sullivan, president of regulated industries at Salesforce, said the industry is moving past broad promises toward a clearer divide between organizations that have laid the groundwork for AI and those still struggl...

China has moved from a fast-following biotech market to a source of globally competitive innovation, according to Josh Smiley, president and chief operating officer of Zai Lab. Speaking on The Top Line podcast, Smiley traces the country’s evolution over the past two decades, pointing to regulatory harmonization, expanded national insurance coverage and deepening R&D capabilities as key drivers. He said the most recent wav...

After a turbulent 2025, the biopharma industry is heading into the new year with major questions still unresolved.

A tough biotech investing environment, aggressive direct-to-consumer drug marketing and sweeping U.S. policy changes reshaped the landscape last year. Many of those pressures are expected to persist into 2026, even as early signs point to a thaw in v...

As 2025 closes, biopharma and healthcare are learning to live on shifting ground. In this special year-end episode of "The Top Line," Fierce reporters take stock of a year defined by federal research cuts, vaccine policy fights and leadership churn at the FDA, then push the conversation forward into the questions that will shape 2026. The through line is that uncertainty has become an operating envi...

Walgreens is emerging as a real-world evidence partner for the biopharma industry, according to a new episode of The Top Line, sponsored by Walgreens. In the conversation, Deepak Kuletha, who leads data management and analytics for the company’s biopharma services division, explains how Walgreens’ 9 million daily interactions and nationwide footprint generate rich insights into patient behavior, access barriers and ther...

Uncertainty reigned early this year with the inauguration of President Donald Trump and his threats to impose tariffs and slash prescription drug prices. But as players in the biopharma industry have gotten a better handle on the impact of these measures and the overall investment landscape, valuations have become more predictable and dealmakers have focused on larger, lower-risk acquisitions. The ...

In this episode of Health Matters, GCI Health’s Ryan Kuresman and Health@WPP’s Wendy Lund explore the fast-shifting landscape of cancer care with Pam Traxel of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. Traxel outlines the growing complexity facing patients—from navigating an expanding range of treatment options to managing rising costs.

The conversation also examines the evolving role of patient advocacy ...

Research shows that women remain woefully underrepresented at the highest levels of leadership in the life sciences industry. Those who have broken through that glass ceiling, however, are not only doing groundbreaking work in pharma, biotech, medtech and beyond but also reframing what it means to be a leader in the sector—as evidenced by the often-unconventional career paths and management philosophies of the 10 women featur...

Bayer is reshaping its pharmaceutical business with a new operating model designed to enhance collaboration and bring research & development and commercialization closer together. In a recent episode of The Top Line podcast, Bayer executives Christine Roth, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Product Strategy and Commercialization, and Dr. Yesmean Wahdan, Head of Medical Affairs for the United States and North America, ...

In this episode of The Top Line, Fierce’s Chris Hayden speaks with Foresight Diagnostics co-founders Dr. Jake Chabon and Dr. Max Diehn about how their company is delivering the next generation of minimal residual disease (MRD) detection in cancer care.

Born from research at Stanford University, Foresight’s PhasED-Seq technology delivers ultra-sensitive detection—down to parts per ten million—enabling clinici...

In this week’s episode of "The Top Line," we take a deep dive into the top-line performance of the biopharma industry in the third quarter. 

After a slow start to the year, U.S. drugmakers in particular have recovered, led by Eli Lilly. We examine which companies are hot and which are not. We also look at trends that emerged in the third quarter, suc...

As the prospect of import tariffs and drug price reform marshals billions of biopharma investment dollars into the U.S., the feasibility of rapid domestic manufacturing buildouts could hinge on a new program cooking at the FDA. How that program, dubbed PreCheck, will work in practice—and on what timeline—are key questions as the U.S. looks to bolster its local pharmaceutical production b...

The healthcare marketing landscape is evolving fast — shaped by regulatory shifts, patient empowerment, and the rise of digital health marketplaces. In this episode of The Top Line, sponsored by Havas Media Network, host Chris Hayden sits down with Holly Dunn, Managing Partner of Performance at Havas Media Network, to explore how pharma brands can redefine patient engagement for a more connected, equitable future.

Dunn explai...

Welcome to the Fierce Biotech Graveyard, our annual ritual remembering the biotechs we lost in 2025 and those on the brink.

In this episode, Fierce Biotech’s Darren Incorvaia and Gabrielle Masson came together to chat about themes from this year’s graveyard, including a cell therapy mausoleum, some mad science, and Darren’s incredibly dated reference to a novelty song from 1958. 

To learn more about the topic...

This week's episode of "The Top Line" features a discussion about what’s working now in biotech and what isn't. 

Recorded Oct. 7 at Fierce Biotech Week, this panel featuring leaders from past Fierce 15 winners digs into timelines, partnerships, what's hype, what's signal and how teams are pressure-testing their models in today's market. 

You'll hear from Generate Biomedicines CEO Mike Nally, Arbor Biotechnologies Ch...

Life sciences organizations are facing both intense pressure and extraordinary opportunity, according to Mark Sullivan, president of regulated industries at Salesforce. In a conversation with The Top Line’s Chris Hayden, Sullivan said companies too often operate in “survival mode,” focused on defending margins rather than leading innovation. But with the rise of AI and agentic technologies, he said, the industry i...

The FDA made waves in early September when it announced a plan to publicly release complete response letters (CRLs) at the same time they are issued to sponsoring companies, part of what the agency calls a push toward “radical transparency.”

At the same time, the FDA released 89 new CRLs, adding to the more than 200 that were previously made public in ...

With a new president of U.S. pharma at the helm—and two key FDA approvals now in the books—Boehringer Ingelheim is sharpening its focus on the lucrative American market.

In this week’s episode of “The Top Line,” we dive into Boehringer Ingelheim’s latest regulatory successes, two crucial launches, and the German company’s...

Artificial intelligence is reshaping drug safety, but governance is just as critical as innovation, according to Marie Flanagan of IQVIA Safety Technologies. Speaking on The Top Line podcast, Flanagan said responsibility for AI in healthcare must be shared across compliance, technology, business teams and regulators. Strong governance, she said, ensures AI systems are ethically designed, technically validated, transparent and adapt...