In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey welcomes back Danie du Plessis, the first-ever guest on Pharma Sessions, for a wide-ranging conversation about what it takes to lead in medical affairs today. Pharma Sessions provides general insights into the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry through conversations with its guests. The content shared in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical, legal, regulatory, or financial advice. The use of any information discussed in this episode or materials linked from the podcast is at the listener’s own risk. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Jonathan Kaskey, Pharma Sessions, its sponsors, or affiliated organizations. Any reference to specific products, companies, regulatory pathways, or commercial strategies is provided for discussion purposes only and does not constitute endorsement or validation by the podcast, host, or sponsors.
Here’s what keeps pharma leaders awake at night: 70% to 80% of ChatGPT usage is healthcare-related; however, most pharmaceutical organizations still treat AI as a future consideration rather than an immediate competitive necessity. In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Emily Lewis, Artificial Intelligence and Innovation Lead for Digital Care Transformation at UCB, to explore why LLMs alone won’t move medicine forward, how to build cross-functional AI literacy across your organization, and the regulatory workflows where AI will deliver impact fastest. Disclaimer: Pharma Sessions is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or financial advice. Guest opinions are their own and do not reflect the views of the host or sponsors. Use of any information provided is at the listener’s own risk and does not imply endorsement of specific products or strategies.
In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Sonia Talwar, Senior Director of Scientific Communications and Medical Information in Hematology/Oncology at Pharmacosmos Therapeutics, to discuss how medical affairs can evolve from a reactive support function into a true strategic connector. Pharma Sessions provides general insights into the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry through conversations with its guests. The content shared in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical, legal, regulatory, or financial advice. The use of any information discussed in this episode or materials linked from the podcast is at the listener’s own risk. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Jonathan Kaskey, Pharma Sessions, its sponsors, or affiliated organizations. Any reference to specific products, companies, regulatory pathways, or commercial strategies is provided for discussion purposes only and does not constitute endorsement or validation by the podcast, host, or sponsors.
In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Eytan Abraham, the Chief Commercial and Technology Officer at Minaris Advanced Therapies, to dive into how pharma companies can choose the right CDMO partners, the future of cell and gene therapy manufacturing, and the hard-earned lessons behind building sustainable, high-performance organizations in one of the most complex areas of medicine. Pharma Sessions provides general insights into the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry through conversations with its guests. The content shared in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical, legal, regulatory, or financial advice. The use of any information discussed in this episode or materials linked from the podcast is at the listener’s own risk. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Jonathan Kaskey, Pharma Sessions, its sponsors, or affiliated organizations. Any reference to specific products, companies, regulatory pathways, or commercial strategies is provided for discussion purposes only and does not constitute endorsement or validation by the podcast, host, or sponsors.
In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey sits down for a second time with Dr. David Shulkin, President of Shulkin Solutions, to challenge the pharmaceutical industry’s fundamental approach to drug pricing and argue that outcomes-based contracting is the path forward for sustainable profitability and patient access. Pharma Sessions provides general insights into the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry through conversations with its guests. The content shared in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical, legal, regulatory, or financial advice. The use of any information discussed in this episode or materials linked from the podcast is at the listener’s own risk. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Jonathan Kaskey, Pharma Sessions, its sponsors, or affiliated organizations. Any reference to specific products, companies, regulatory pathways, or commercial strategies is provided for discussion purposes only and does not constitute endorsement or validation by the podcast, host, or sponsors.
In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Dr. David Shulkin, President of Shulkin Solutions, to discuss what it actually takes to lead through a healthcare crisis at scale. Dr. Shulkin shares insights about the current state of U.S. public health, the intersection of policy and care delivery, the role of innovation and technology, and what must change to better serve patients. Pharma Sessions provides general insights into the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry through conversations with its guests. The content shared in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical, legal, regulatory, or financial advice. The use of any information discussed in this episode or materials linked from the podcast is at the listener’s own risk. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Jonathan Kaskey, Pharma Sessions, its sponsors, or affiliated organizations. Any reference to specific products, companies, regulatory pathways, or commercial strategies is provided for discussion purposes only and does not constitute endorsement or validation by the podcast, host, or sponsors.
In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Punit Kumar, the Executive Director of Customer Engagement for the US Enterprise Portfolio at Novartis, to dive into why execution excellence matters more than hype, how AI agents are freeing up your team from manual work to focus on high-impact insights, and the counterintuitive skill that matters most in pharma today: getting comfortable being uncomfortable. Pharma Sessions provides general insights into the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry through conversations with its guests. The content shared in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical, legal, regulatory, or financial advice. The use of any information discussed in this episode or materials linked from the podcast is at the listener’s own risk. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Jonathan Kaskey, Pharma Sessions, its sponsors, or affiliated organizations. Any reference to specific products, companies, regulatory pathways, or commercial strategies is provided for discussion purposes only and does not constitute endorsement or validation by the podcast, host, or sponsors.
In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Farrell Simon, Chief Commercial Officer at Trevi Therapeutics, to discuss what commercial leadership looks like long before launch, sharing lessons from a career that spans Procter & Gamble, Pfizer, and biotech. Pharma Sessions provides general insights into the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry through conversations with its guests. The content shared in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical, legal, regulatory, or financial advice. The use of any information discussed in this episode or materials linked from the podcast is at the listener’s own risk. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Jonathan Kaskey, Pharma Sessions, its sponsors, or affiliated organizations. Any reference to specific products, companies, regulatory pathways, or commercial strategies is provided for discussion purposes only and does not constitute endorsement or validation by the podcast, host, or sponsors.
Drug launches in oncology don’t succeed simply because the technology works; they succeed when the evidence is strong enough to change physician behavior. In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Shaun Bagai, CEO of RenovoRx, to discuss the long and uncertain journey of building a medtech company grounded in clinical proof. From turning down medical school to leading a Nasdaq-listed oncology company, Shaun shares how physician feedback reshaped the company’s strategy, why investing in rigorous clinical trials can be a defining leadership decision, and why face-to-face relationships remain essential for market adoption in healthcare. Pharma Sessions provides general insights into the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry through conversations with its guests. The content shared in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical, legal, regulatory, or financial advice. The use of any information discussed in this episode or materials linked from the podcast is at the listener’s own risk. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Jonathan Kaskey, Pharma Sessions, its sponsors, or affiliated organizations.
In this solo episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey breaks down what actually determines whether a new technology implementation in pharma succeeds or quietly dies in a steering committee meeting. After helping pharma companies implement nearly $200 million in new software platforms over the course of his career, Jonathan shares the patterns he’s seen again and again.
Drug launches don’t succeed at the finish line. They succeed or fail years earlier, when teams decide what evidence they’ll generate, how they’ll publish it, and which assumptions they’ll pressure-test before it’s too late. In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Ana Bozas, Director of Clinical Evidence Strategy and Scientific Communications at Vera Therapeutics, to dive into what launch readiness really means from the medical side. Pharma Sessions provides general insights into the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry through conversations with its guests. The content shared in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical, legal, regulatory, or financial advice. The use of any information discussed in this episode or materials linked from the podcast is at the listener’s own risk. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Jonathan Kaskey, Pharma Sessions, its sponsors, or affiliated organizations.
Drug launches don’t succeed at the finish line. They succeed or fail years earlier, when teams decide what evidence they’ll generate, how they’ll publish it, and which assumptions they’ll pressure-test before it’s too late. In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Ana Bozas, Director of Clinical Evidence Strategy and Scientific Communications at Vera Therapeutics, to dive into what launch readiness really means from the medical side.
Generative AI is changing analytics in pharma, but not in the way most people fear. In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Adam Mico, Principal Data and Analytics Strategist at Moderna, to dive into what future-proofing really looks like when AI lowers the barrier to building dashboards, writing code, and generating insights.
In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Jeremy Zhang, Senior Director and Head of Data Science Solutions at Otsuka, to discuss why AI initiatives succeed or fail in pharma and why it has almost nothing to do with the technology itself.
In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Sean Sheffler-Collins, Director of Scientific Communications and Content at Astellas Pharma, to discuss how Medical Affairs is evolving to meet HCPs' needs through omnichannel communication strategies, accessible and engaging scientific data, and technology-enabled solutions like digital microsites and AI analysis.
In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Trevor Landry, the Executive Director of CNS Sales at Otsuka, to unpack how commercial leaders can use data and AI without losing the on-the-ground realities that drive great selling and sustainable revenue growth.
In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey sits down with Matthew Krzywosz, Director of Scientific Communications & Content at Astellas, to explore how Medical Affairs teams can create differentiated scientific narratives, use omnichannel strategy to amplify impact, and help brands stand out in highly competitive markets.\
In this special episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey steps behind the mic solo to share the evolving vision for the podcast and the personal career shift that inspired it. What began as a show centered on medical affairs is now broadening to reflect the realities of modern pharma: commercial strategy, analytics, AI, organizational change, and the people navigating it all. Jonathan shares the story behind his move to XSUNT and why building something meaningful again became the driving force behind his next chapter. Along the way, he reflects on what AI should be doing in pharma, why niche, domain-specific tools outperform generic platforms, and how teams can move beyond manual reporting toward real strategic impact.
