Epoetin Alfa

New book draws on four decades of biotechnology experience to help founders, investors and operators navigate today’s evolving capital and regulatory landscape. RENO, NV, UNITED STATES, June 17, 2026 / EINPresswire.com / -- David R. Craig, MBA, founder and chief executive officer of Sarcomatrix Therapeutics and a biotechnology industry veteran with nearly 40 years of experience, today announced the publication of The New Rules of Biotech: A Founder’s Guide to Building Great Companies, a new book offering practical guidance for founders, investors, and operators navigating today’s evolving biotechnology landscape. The book arrives at a pivotal moment for the biotechnology industry. The funding environment that fueled the 2020–2021 biotech boom has shifted dramatically, with investors placing greater emphasis on capital efficiency, milestone-driven execution, and clear paths to value creation. As regulatory expectations evolve and development timelines lengthen, founders are increasingly required to build companies with operational discipline from day one. Drawing on nearly four decades of experience across pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, company building, and investing, Craig provides a practical framework for building biotechnology companies in today’s market. Having worked in the life sciences industry since 1986, Craig has founded and advised multiple biotechnology ventures spanning drug development, capital formation, regulatory strategy, and commercialization. His experience across scientific, operational, and investment roles informs a practical approach to building sustainable biotechnology companies. The guide explores critical topics including financing strategy, milestone-based fundraising, non-dilutive capital, regulatory planning, asset development, manufacturing considerations, strategic partnerships, and exit planning. It also examines broader structural shifts reshaping the biotechnology industry, including evolving venture financing dynamics, increasing emphasis on capital efficiency, and the growing importance of disciplined execution throughout drug development. "The biotech playbook written for 2021 no longer works," said Craig. "Capital markets, regulatory expectations, and development timelines have all evolved. I wrote this book to provide founders and investors with a practical guide for building companies in the environment that exists today. Strong science remains essential, but scientific innovation alone is no longer enough. Successful biotech companies must pair breakthrough science with thoughtful capital allocation, operational discipline, and clearly defined milestones that move therapies closer to patients." Craig's perspective is informed not only by decades in biotechnology, but also by his leadership of Sarcomatrix Therapeutics, where the company is advancing S-969, its lead therapeutic candidate for muscle-wasting diseases, toward first-in-human studies. Founded in part through Craig's personal connection to rare genetic muscle diseases, Sarcomatrix is focused on translating scientific innovation into meaningful therapies for patients with significant unmet needs. The New Rules of Biotech: A Founder’s Guide to Building Great Companies is now available in paperback and Kindle editions. Availability The New Rules of Biotech: A Founder’s Guide to Building Great Companies is published by D. Craig Consulting LLC and is available now through Amazon. • Paperback: $24.99 • Kindle: $14.99 Purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H4WZV6CW Kindle edition: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GX38YLJ7 Additional distribution through Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play, and IngramSpark is forthcoming. Formats: Paperback and Kindle Category: Business & Money; Business Development & Entrepreneurship ISBN: 979-8-9965766-0-9 Publication Date: June 6, 2026 About The Author David Craig, MBA is the founder and chief executive officer of Sarcomatrix Therapeutics and principal of D. Craig Consulting LLC. A pharmaceutical executive with more than 30 years of experience, Craig has led and scaled organizations across biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, with expertise spanning drug development, commercialization, company building, and investing. Throughout his career, Craig has been a member of, and led, teams responsible for the commercialization of blockbuster, first-in-class, and market-leading therapies, including EPOGEN ® (epoetin alfa), NEUPOGEN ® (filgrastim), HEPSERA ® (adefovir dipivoxil), and ANDEXXA ® (andexanet alfa). He has held leadership roles at Amgen, Sequus Pharmaceuticals, Gilead Sciences, AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Portola Pharmaceuticals, and the University of Nevada, Reno Licensing Office. Craig earned a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from South Dakota State University and an MBA from the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School. The New Rules of Biotech: A Founder’s Guide to Building Great Companies is his first book. About Sarcomatrix Therapeutics Sarcomatrix Therapeutics Corp. is a biotechnology company developing first-in-class therapies for rare neuromuscular diseases. The company was spun out of the Burkin Laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno, with foundational technology licensed through the Nevada Center for Applied Research (NVCAR). Sarcomatrix is headquartered in Reno, Nevada. Media Contact: Madelyn De Los Santos Putnam Insights LLC madelyn@putnaminsights.com Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.

Mumbai: Hyderabad is a unique city. The scores of shining glass towers that have come up in the last two decades reflect its urgency to progress in science and technology. GCCs have become synonymous to the city with most large companies pouring significant investments. What started as a trickle with Novartis in 2012 has morphed into a big opportunity. Amgen , a marquee US-biotech giant is the latest in the growing count to commit an investment of USD200 million for what it calls as a technology and innovation centre that will help find new medical treatments. These decisions renew the excitement of enterprise in and around the city of Hyderabad. The spirit to push the boundaries of innovation is distinct in almost everyone who is part of the life sciences sector. To see that change, there is no better forum than BioAsia , a gathering of Indian and global pharma and biotech professionals that has come to be seen as a must-attend conference over the last two decades. This year Robert Bradway, CEO, Amgen gave the keynote where he alluded to the significant strides in biotech research. He spoke on how Amgen was among the earliest biotech groups that brought out breakthroughs like epoetin alfa and filgrastim. Over the two days, riveting discussions brought to the fore new insights on the state of the Indian pharmaceutical/biotech industry. As the buzz grew, some vital highlights stood out. Cranking up the innovation engine: That was the critical theme cutting across panel discussions. While the topic has been coming around multiple times in myriad ways, not much has really moved that is worth talking about. But green shoots are clearly for those who are up for the long haul are sharpening their skills. The overall setting seems optimistic with the governments, both at the central and state levels, showing the same intent as the industry. Is there any option left now? India was seen in a race against China about two decades ago. That race doesn’t exist now. It is rather an imperative with China leapfrogging, having modelled itself for success. It has reversed the game from bringing innovation to China to now licensing out its own molecules to global drug makers. It is getting an unprecedented deal flow and finding new ways of striking partnerships like the latest NewCos. Chinese biotechs are smarter not just in finding better drugs and therapies but also understanding the business better, like it or not. They are constantly taking new approaches. India is doing the catch up, forever. On the CEO panel with noted business journalist Govindraj Ethiraj, Dr. Satyanarayana Chava, founder/CEO, Laurus spoke about the bets his company took on ImmunoAct , India’s first CAR-T maker. Credit to him, Laurus is not the first name that comes when one thinks of innovative drugs. Others who should have, paid less attention to the tsunami of new CAR-Ts that are in research. He noted any US or European enterprise with the same technology and scientific calibre would have garnered a valuation of $3-$4 billion but that’s not in how they see India! That image will take some time and effort to change. G V Prasad, Co-chairman and Managing Director, Dr. Reddy’s Labs was sanguine despite the heavy task of pursuing research. He asserted how innovation is at the heart of Dr. Reddy’s, a move that was first made by late Dr. Anji Reddy back in 1994. He spoke about the ups and downs of that journey, referring to “The Unfinished Agenda ,” the book by late Dr. Anji Reddy that details how the company was arduously built over the years. A statement from Prasad that moved the audience was: He (Dr. Anji Reddy) started on the path of innovation much before others and the book he wrote is titled The Unfinished Agenda . Innovation is not an easy thing to do. Even now I am struggling to see success and I am 64 now. I am trying to finish that Unfinished Agenda and I am hoping that happens in my lifetime. CRDMO – This is an opportunity that is still unfolding. Here again there is a big Chinese wall to climb. Speakers were clear on the point that too many regulatory stringencies hampered the prospects for India. Any tweaks to a compound take several months for clearances. In fact, a speaker off-record said even when a product is simply in transition without any manufacturing additions requires to be cleared by the government. How can a fast-moving industry deal with such bureaucratic delays and still stay competitive against aggressive global players? Is this ease of doing business? AI and speeding up of research: This topic came up across discussions on and off the podium. Particularly interesting was how Novartis’ Hyderabad drug development unit saved significant time identifying specific trial participants for an experimental drug that needed additional data for global regulatory submissions. AI is real and the faster it is mainstreamed in India the better. There are imperfections, as is with all things new, but sitting on the fringes and watching won’t make sense. Clinical Trials: Irony is that this topic was in discussions two decades ago and is still being pondered upon. There is a clear loss of opportunity with the status quo and speakers are being bold in saying this. Australia, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and more importantly Korea – all these countries are moving fast, doing hundreds of clinical studies while India, with a huge diverse population and growing burden of diseases has hardly kept pace, if not just regressed. Myths that need to be busted – clinical trials and India do not need to be always seen with a lens of guinea pigs. With a strong regulatory apparatus (following sweeping reforms of 2019), a lot has changed. Most importantly, as speakers noted, by not doing clinical trials, global companies have turned away and have started filling up the India slots for volunteers and patients from other countries. Who is the loser? Patients get no access to new treatments and drugs, particularly in the exploding oncology segment, are never brought to the Indian shores. Also, the big perception of India being a low cost location of trials is fading away fast. The wait begins for more action at BioAsia 2026. The theme for BioAsia 2025 was Catalyst for change. Will things change? This article is written by Vikas Dandekar, Editor, ET Pharma and ET Healthworld. (DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and ETHealthworld.com does not necessarily subscribe to it. ETHealthworld.com shall not be responsible for any damage caused to any person/organisation directly or indirectly) By Vikas Dandekar ,