🧬 Doug Drysdale - Cybin - Part 4 | The Challenges of Running a Public Company | Transforming Psychiatric Treatments Through Psychedelic Compounds | Developing Breakthrough Therapies in Depression & Anxiety

The Biotech Startups Podcast

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Part 4 of 4.

My guest for this week’s episode is Doug Drysdale, CEO at Cybin. Cybin is a clinical-stage biopharma company on a mission to create safe and effective psychedelic-based therapeutics.

Doug is an experienced investor, Corporate Director and CEO, who has chaired the Board of a NASDAQ-listed company and, as a CEO for the past 12 years, has built and turned around 3 pharma companies. During his 30+ years of experience in the healthcare sector, he has formed cohesive management teams, recruited board members, completed 16 corporate acquisitions across three continents and has raised and invested around $4 billion of both public and private capital.

Before Cybin, Doug was Commercial Products Manager at DuPont Merck, Director of BD at Elan, VP of M&A at Actavis Group, CEO of Norwich Pharmaceuticals and Alvogen, CEO of Pernix Therapeutics, and CEO of Tedor Pharma. His extensive background as a seasoned executive, investor, and turn-around specialist gives him a wide range of experiences that founders can learn from.

Join us this week and hear about:

• Doug’s first-time experience running a public company: the challenges of hitting quarterly numbers and juggling the pressure of share price volatility
• His move to Cybin, a startup transforming psychiatric treatments through psychedelic compounds
• Cybin’s recent progress, including some key acquisitions, taking the company public, and their breakthrough therapies in depression and anxiety.

Please enjoy my conversation with Doug Drysdale.

Timestamps:

00:28 Intro

01:50 Doug’s first experience running a public company, Pernix Therapeutics

06:51 Leaving Pernix for a private company and a break from public scrutiny

08:22 Joining Cybin, going public, and raising $300MM; quickly developing therapy and IP assets

11:34 Cybin’s mission and focus; the co-founders and the team behind the technology

15:08 The DEA’s outlook on psychedelics and the development of SSRI alternatives

17:26 Doug’s experience working with the FDA

19:39 Cybin’s IP and partnership strategies; building out a core team and retaining talent

24:00 Cybin’s 2-year vision

24:58 Shoutouts and advice to 21-year old self

26:37 Outro

Find Our Guest, Doug Drysdale, at these links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougdrysdale/

https://cybin.com/

Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee

https://www.excedr.com

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Podcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/

Enriched Notes:

Topics Mentioned:

Pernix Therapeutics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pernix_Therapeutics_Holdings

Cybin: https://cybin.com/

Intellectual Property 101: https://www.excedr.com/resources/intellectual-property-guide

SSRIs: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/ssris/art-20044825

Psychedelic Compounds for Therapies: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4592297/

Pharmacokinetics: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557744/

Understanding Psilocybin and DMT Treatments for Depression: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/2022/02/psilocybin-treatment-for-major-depression-effective-for-up-to-a-year-for-most-patients-study-shows

Cybin’s Developmental Pipeline: https://cybin.com/development-pipeline/

DEA’s outlook on psychedelics: https://www.cato.org/regulation/spring-2023/psychedelics-dea-regulating-religion

Guide to FDA Drug Approval Process: https://www.excedr.com/blog/fda-drug-approval-process-guide

IP Strategy for Biotechs: https://www.excedr.com/resources/intellectual-property-strategy-for-biotechs

Biotech Partnerships: https://www.excedr.com/blog/how-biotech-partnerships-support-research

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