A Leadership Call to Action for Biotech

In this episode of Leading Edge with Ken Banta, Jeremy Levin, D.Phil, MB BChir, co-founder and executive chairman of Ovid Therapeutics, joins Banta, The Vanguard Network founder and CEO, for a wide-ranging and candid discussion on the challenges confronting the U.S. biotechnology industry and the leadership required to strengthen its future. Drawing from Levin’s book, Biotech in the Balance: Saving a Strategic Industry in an Age of Distrust, the prominent and outspoken biopharma leader argues that biotechnology is facing pressures that extend well beyond the traditional cycles of capital and investment. The conversation with Banta and Pharmaceutical Executive's Mike Christel turns squarely to leadership and the industry's relationship with the public. Levin challenges pharma and biotech executives to communicate more clearly what their organizations contribute to patients and society — but stresses that communication must be backed by meaningful action. "Mission without method is a waste of time,” he asserts. Banta and Levin also explore the responsibility of corporate boards, how executive incentives can shape organizational priorities and whether the traditional emphasis on shareholder value adequately reflects the broader societal obligations of healthcare companies.