Frank S. David
@franksdavid.bsky.social
Biotech R&D strategy @ Pharmagellan. Prof of Practice of Biotech @ Tufts Biology. Bio, books, blog & more at www.pharmagellan.com. #biosky
Hi, folks! I just posted another "links list" of biopharma-relevant stuff that caught my attention (incl. "AI and Alzheimer's cures" -- color me skeptical). mailchi.mp/pharmagellan...
September 18, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Hi, folks! I just posted another "links list" of biopharma-relevant stuff that caught my attention (incl. "AI and Alzheimer's cures" -- color me skeptical). mailchi.mp/pharmagellan...
Apparently hope *is* a strategy after all.
endpoints.news/roche-moves-... by @leileiwu.bsky.social of Endpoints
endpoints.news/roche-moves-... by @leileiwu.bsky.social of Endpoints
June 17, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Apparently hope *is* a strategy after all.
endpoints.news/roche-moves-... by @leileiwu.bsky.social of Endpoints
endpoints.news/roche-moves-... by @leileiwu.bsky.social of Endpoints
“Frontiers” and MDPI-pub’d journals are the most common crap citations in my classes (& I explicitly ban them), but I’ll be on the lookout in case Springer’s “Discovery” rears its ugly head.
June 11, 2025 at 11:38 AM
“Frontiers” and MDPI-pub’d journals are the most common crap citations in my classes (& I explicitly ban them), but I’ll be on the lookout in case Springer’s “Discovery” rears its ugly head.
I don’t follow the generics market closely, let alone international Gx — so I found this piece by @dereklowe.bsky.social particularly bananas! Go read it. www.science.org/content/blog...
June 10, 2025 at 9:00 PM
I don’t follow the generics market closely, let alone international Gx — so I found this piece by @dereklowe.bsky.social particularly bananas! Go read it. www.science.org/content/blog...
Good template for a clear paper abstract — HT @johnholbein1.bsky.social (who credits @fgilardi.bsky.social)
June 5, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Good template for a clear paper abstract — HT @johnholbein1.bsky.social (who credits @fgilardi.bsky.social)
New paper on pharma revenue drivers by IDEA Pharma — here’s the TL;DR (w/apologies to Michael Pollan; IYKYK):
“Spend on R&D. Not too much. Mostly Phase 3 trials.”
www.ideapharma.com/insights/rev...
“Spend on R&D. Not too much. Mostly Phase 3 trials.”
www.ideapharma.com/insights/rev...
June 5, 2025 at 3:43 PM
New paper on pharma revenue drivers by IDEA Pharma — here’s the TL;DR (w/apologies to Michael Pollan; IYKYK):
“Spend on R&D. Not too much. Mostly Phase 3 trials.”
www.ideapharma.com/insights/rev...
“Spend on R&D. Not too much. Mostly Phase 3 trials.”
www.ideapharma.com/insights/rev...
New “Healthspan” whitepaper by the folks at Whoop. I’m skeptical of these sorts of things but I haven’t read it yet and this isn’t my expertise. Curious to hear thoughts from @dshaywitz.bsky.social and others who follow this area.
www.whoop.com/us/en/theloc...
www.whoop.com/us/en/theloc...
June 5, 2025 at 12:34 PM
New “Healthspan” whitepaper by the folks at Whoop. I’m skeptical of these sorts of things but I haven’t read it yet and this isn’t my expertise. Curious to hear thoughts from @dshaywitz.bsky.social and others who follow this area.
www.whoop.com/us/en/theloc...
www.whoop.com/us/en/theloc...
Most cogent “bear case” I’ve read on where we are / where we’re going on AI. By Dwarkesh Patel: www.dwarkesh.com/p/timelines-...
June 5, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Most cogent “bear case” I’ve read on where we are / where we’re going on AI. By Dwarkesh Patel: www.dwarkesh.com/p/timelines-...
Big “college student seeing final course grade” energy(Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) via NYT).
June 4, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Big “college student seeing final course grade” energy(Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) via NYT).
My 2c: if a Ph 3 trial hits 1 of 2 co-primary EPs, the PR should say so in the headline.
That said, lede of main text in this case is very clear. So, I’d give “partial credit”.
Case: www.businesswire.com/news/home/20...
My prior take on biotech PR shenanigans: www.pharmagellan.com/blog/red-fla...
That said, lede of main text in this case is very clear. So, I’d give “partial credit”.
Case: www.businesswire.com/news/home/20...
My prior take on biotech PR shenanigans: www.pharmagellan.com/blog/red-fla...
May 30, 2025 at 11:54 AM
My 2c: if a Ph 3 trial hits 1 of 2 co-primary EPs, the PR should say so in the headline.
That said, lede of main text in this case is very clear. So, I’d give “partial credit”.
Case: www.businesswire.com/news/home/20...
My prior take on biotech PR shenanigans: www.pharmagellan.com/blog/red-fla...
That said, lede of main text in this case is very clear. So, I’d give “partial credit”.
Case: www.businesswire.com/news/home/20...
My prior take on biotech PR shenanigans: www.pharmagellan.com/blog/red-fla...
Great advice on writing accessible prose about technical topics by @dingdingpeng.the100.ci www.the100.ci/2024/12/01/w... HT @statsepi.bsky.social
May 17, 2025 at 9:24 AM
Great advice on writing accessible prose about technical topics by @dingdingpeng.the100.ci www.the100.ci/2024/12/01/w... HT @statsepi.bsky.social
1st FDA-cleared Alzheimer’s blood test — finally! Looking forward to digging into the data.
Eric Snyder, Jake Olin, & I argued in 2012 that pharma would be a (the?) big winner from a non-imaging AD Dx. Arguments still basically hold up imho. www.nature.com/articles/nrd...
Eric Snyder, Jake Olin, & I argued in 2012 that pharma would be a (the?) big winner from a non-imaging AD Dx. Arguments still basically hold up imho. www.nature.com/articles/nrd...
May 16, 2025 at 11:28 PM
1st FDA-cleared Alzheimer’s blood test — finally! Looking forward to digging into the data.
Eric Snyder, Jake Olin, & I argued in 2012 that pharma would be a (the?) big winner from a non-imaging AD Dx. Arguments still basically hold up imho. www.nature.com/articles/nrd...
Eric Snyder, Jake Olin, & I argued in 2012 that pharma would be a (the?) big winner from a non-imaging AD Dx. Arguments still basically hold up imho. www.nature.com/articles/nrd...
WE’RE BACK, BABY! 🤑
May 10, 2025 at 5:34 PM
WE’RE BACK, BABY! 🤑
This is a key point
May 8, 2025 at 11:59 AM
This is a key point
Excellent thread by Megan McArdle on X about how universities need to evolve in face of AI. (1st tweet screenshotted below; whole thread is recommended) x.com/asymmetricin...
May 8, 2025 at 11:58 AM
Excellent thread by Megan McArdle on X about how universities need to evolve in face of AI. (1st tweet screenshotted below; whole thread is recommended) x.com/asymmetricin...
Listen to all the biotech hot takes I could fit into 50 min: China, NPV models, trial design, PR shenanigans, & more!
W/ Chris O'Brien on the @biorasi.bsky.social podcast: lnkd.in/ebpiV2S7
W/ Chris O'Brien on the @biorasi.bsky.social podcast: lnkd.in/ebpiV2S7
April 29, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Listen to all the biotech hot takes I could fit into 50 min: China, NPV models, trial design, PR shenanigans, & more!
W/ Chris O'Brien on the @biorasi.bsky.social podcast: lnkd.in/ebpiV2S7
W/ Chris O'Brien on the @biorasi.bsky.social podcast: lnkd.in/ebpiV2S7
April 21, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Love this and will 100% use it in meetings with students this week.
April 20, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Love this and will 100% use it in meetings with students this week.
New investor group is trying to wind down “zombie biotechs” — cool, cool — but whats up with this final paragraph of AI-meets-biotech word salad? finance.yahoo.com/news/alis-bi... cc @adamfeuerstein.bsky.social
April 18, 2025 at 6:40 PM
New investor group is trying to wind down “zombie biotechs” — cool, cool — but whats up with this final paragraph of AI-meets-biotech word salad? finance.yahoo.com/news/alis-bi... cc @adamfeuerstein.bsky.social
This post by @deenamousa.com on “big if true” ideas in global health is super-good!
It’s also inspiring me to write something similar in biomedicine/biopharma…
newsletter.deenamousa.com/p/big-if-true
It’s also inspiring me to write something similar in biomedicine/biopharma…
newsletter.deenamousa.com/p/big-if-true
April 15, 2025 at 3:23 PM
This post by @deenamousa.com on “big if true” ideas in global health is super-good!
It’s also inspiring me to write something similar in biomedicine/biopharma…
newsletter.deenamousa.com/p/big-if-true
It’s also inspiring me to write something similar in biomedicine/biopharma…
newsletter.deenamousa.com/p/big-if-true
The charlatans at RFKJr-affiliated "Children's Health Defense" claim the unvaxxed kids who died of measles "absolutely, categorically, did not die by any stretch of the imagination from measles." 😮 live.childrenshealthdefense.org/chd-tv/shows...
April 14, 2025 at 5:55 PM
The charlatans at RFKJr-affiliated "Children's Health Defense" claim the unvaxxed kids who died of measles "absolutely, categorically, did not die by any stretch of the imagination from measles." 😮 live.childrenshealthdefense.org/chd-tv/shows...
Guy whose *entire* academic career was enabled by the anti-pharma slant of major medical journals now complains about their bias. 🤷🏻♂️
April 13, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Guy whose *entire* academic career was enabled by the anti-pharma slant of major medical journals now complains about their bias. 🤷🏻♂️
Yes yes YES — amazing piece on scientific writing by @vigocarpathian.bsky.social. Adding to the session I teach on writing in my drug dev class.
April 5, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Yes yes YES — amazing piece on scientific writing by @vigocarpathian.bsky.social. Adding to the session I teach on writing in my drug dev class.
Axios, NYT, WSJ are all buying into the “AI in drug dev” hype. See eg www.axios.com/newsletters/...
I’m not saying there’s *nothing* there, but only time will tell — and uncritical gee-whiz articles like these are setting the stage for a deep and prolonged trough of disappointment.
I’m not saying there’s *nothing* there, but only time will tell — and uncritical gee-whiz articles like these are setting the stage for a deep and prolonged trough of disappointment.
March 26, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Axios, NYT, WSJ are all buying into the “AI in drug dev” hype. See eg www.axios.com/newsletters/...
I’m not saying there’s *nothing* there, but only time will tell — and uncritical gee-whiz articles like these are setting the stage for a deep and prolonged trough of disappointment.
I’m not saying there’s *nothing* there, but only time will tell — and uncritical gee-whiz articles like these are setting the stage for a deep and prolonged trough of disappointment.