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Approved

Alex Kesin and Matthew Pech 3 Episodes Aug 4, 2026

Life sciences, under the hood. Deep dives into the patent filings, regulatory gauntlets, and capital-risks that shape the business of biology.

Episodes

Blueprint Medicines: Chasing Gleevec to a $9B Allergy Drug Aug 4, 2026 8981 Blueprint Medicines was built to find the next Gleevec-style cancer drug. It ended up pivoting to allergic disease instead, and selling to Sanofi for $9B. This is the platform, the pivot, and who got paid.Blueprint Medicines set out to be the natural sequel to Gleevec: a company founded by two of the scientists behind that landmark cancer drug, built to order by Third Rock Ventures' "vent

Keytruda: How Merck's Pembrolizumab Became the Best-Selling Cancer Drug of All Time May 14, 2026 7656 Keytruda is Merck's $31 billion a year PD-1 inhibitor and the best-selling cancer drug of all time. In Episode 3 of Approved, Alex Kesin and Matthew Pech trace the development of pembrolizumab , featuring interviews the scientists who drove the program forward : co-inventors Gregory Carven and Michel Streuli, and former Merck oncology CMO Roy Baynes.Topics include preclinical PD1 / CTLA-4

Episode #2: Geron Mar 13, 2026 8526 Listen on SpotifyListen on Apple PodcastsListen on YouTubeTABLE OF CONTENTS(00:00:00) - Introduction (00:01:19) - Hayflick Limit (00:08:30) - Michael West & Founding of Geron (00:15:16) - Early Science & IP Strategy (00:27:25) - Cloning the Telomerase Gene (00:29:30) - Embryonic Stem Cells & Political Context (00:44:21) - Okarma, West’s Departure & Corporate Turmoil (01:05

Episode #1: Amylin Pharmaceuticals Jan 30, 2026 6388 Listen on SpotifyListen on Apple PodcastsListen on YouTubeTABLE OF CONTENTS(00:00:00) - Introduction(00:04:40) - $50 of Dried Lizard Venom(00:29:17) - Fax of Death(00:43:04) - Sleeping Beauty Awakens(00:52:07) - Carl Icahn Sends a Letter(01:09:19) - Endgame(01:13:40) - Postmortem & PlaybookCREDITSCo-hosted by Alex Kesin and Matthew Pech Written, edited, and produced by Alex KesinMusic

Approved

Episodes

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