Objective:

To discuss recent achievements, insights, and challenges in the biopharma industry, focusing on cyclic peptides and drug development.

Approach:

• Professional Highlights: Awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry's Interdisciplinary Prize and named on the Medicine Maker Power List 2025.
• Industry Progress: Recognition of expanding druggable targets, including cyclic peptides and other innovative approaches.
• Bottlenecks in Drug Development: Mismatch between scientific timelines and funding cycles; need for diverse capital sources.
• Disputed Beliefs: Challenging the notion that peptides cannot be oral drugs due to advancements in medicinal chemistry.
• Resilience in Pharma: Emphasizing diversification across modalities and strengthening biotech-pharma partnerships.
• Policy Changes: Advocating for stronger pull incentives in areas of market failure to encourage drug development.

Key Findings:

• Cyclic peptides are gaining traction as viable drug candidates.
• The addressable proteome is expanding, allowing for new drug discovery targets.
• Funding cycles need to align better with the long timelines of drug development.
• Recent advancements have made oral peptides a feasible therapeutic option.
• Diversification is crucial for resilience in the biopharma industry.
• Current pricing models fail to support drug development in areas of clear market failure.

Limitations:

• The article reflects personal insights and may not encompass the broader industry perspective.
• Specific examples of successful cyclic peptides or funding models are not detailed.