All Episodes

October 26, 2021 62 mins

“The reason you work in a drug company is for patients,” says Clifford Kalb, President of C. Kalb & Associates, LLC. Clifford has dedicated the last four decades of his life to improving intelligence in the pharmaceutical industry. His wide range of experience has given him opportunities to work at the executive level for many of the well-known pharma companies, including Pfizer. Clifford’s passion for innovation and leadership in the industry was solidified after his life was saved by a drug he helped get on the market. Today, Clifford proudly owns and operates his own pharma consultancy where he assists clients in ethically overcoming industry issues to provide better health solutions. 

Eleven years ago, Clifford was diagnosed with an incredibly rare back disease. In fact, he was one of only twenty people to receive this diagnosis during the 21st century. While Clifford’s initial chance of survival looked bleak, he and his doctor decided to take a risk and try a drug that was new to the market. Ultimately, it was Clifford’s trust in his product’s mission that granted him a second chance at life. Even though there are many misconceptions about the morals of the industry, Clifford explains that the number one goal isn’t to create a profit, but rather to develop solutions that save lives. 

Join the Johnson Brothers and Clifford Kalb on this week’s episode of Running into the Fog to hear about Clifford’s experience with the pharmaceutical industry from the perspective of a leader and a patient. Learn more about key industry topics and how intelligence is working to create a safer and healthier world for generations to come. 

 

Quotes

• “The reason you work in a drug company is for patients. It's not all about making money. It's not all about ultimately coming up with the best dosage form or the most competitive marketing plan or the most developed R&D program. It's about helping people to either return from an illness or to prevent them from getting one.” (07:56-08:19) 

• “I wouldn't be here telling you about the pharmaceutical industry and my travels through it if it wasn't for this medicine, which saved my life.”  (09:06-09:18) 

• “Because of this mRNA technology that you've heard about, which has never been tried before to produce a vaccine, many steps in vaccine development are completely eliminated. Which means the future of vaccine development is going to now follow the mRNA pattern. And the old technology will be dropped.” (29:02-29:23)

• “85% of the US market is treated with generic drugs and 15% of it is treated with branded drugs.”(47:45-47:52). 

• “At the end of the day, the marketing R&D interface inside the drug company is probably the single most important one to work.” (56:56-57:04)

Links

https://www.cifellows.com/about-us/members/clifford-kalb/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cliffordkalb/

 

https://aurorawdc.com/ 

Arik JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/arikjohnson/ 

Derek JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-johnson-cfa-190893/

 

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

United States of Kennedy
Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club

Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club

Welcome to Bookmarked by Reese’s Book Club — the podcast where great stories, bold women, and irresistible conversations collide! Hosted by award-winning journalist Danielle Robay, each week new episodes balance thoughtful literary insight with the fervor of buzzy book trends, pop culture and more. Bookmarked brings together celebrities, tastemakers, influencers and authors from Reese's Book Club and beyond to share stories that transcend the page. Pull up a chair. You’re not just listening — you’re part of the conversation.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.