Leadership, innovation & execution: a conversation with Zai’s Samantha Du

Calls for diversifying the biopharma industry align with the ingredients CEOs need to build an innovative biotech in today’s market, according to Zai Lab’s Samantha Du.

On The BioCentury Show, Du speaks about navigating the downturn as it stretches deep into a second year and how China’s in-licensing players are navigating pricing pressure in the country’s burgeoning drugs market. She also offers her thoughts on the path forward for industry’s young executives.

Du is founder, chairperson and CEO of Zai Lab Ltd. (NASDAQ:ZLAB; HKEX:9688) and founding managing director of Quan Capital. She also co-founded Hutchmed China Ltd. (NASDAQ:HCM; LSE:HCM; HKEX:0013), where she served as CEO and CSO.

In Du’s vision, the complex nature of the drug development industry makes it essential for companies to have structures and a workplace where individuals with leadership potential, at all levels of a company, can make an impact. 

“It is very important to bring in people from different backgrounds, different experiences,” Du told BioCentury, adding that a diverse culture fuels innovation and creativity, which can be leveraged via brainstorming and consensus building.

“Leadership defines your own position,” she said, speaking to the path young executives are forging in industry. “It’s not like if you are CEO, you make all the calls. If you have leadership skills, you can at a very young level, a junior level, you can make a big impact.”

The protracted downturn has tested leaders of all stripes, and Du is no exception. In addition to contending with public markets that have grinded downward for the past 18 months, Zai also faces pricing pressures wrought by China’s National Reimbursement Drug List. It’s an environment that analysts and investors say test the feasibility of the in-licensing model pursued by Zai and other China biotechs.

But Du sees a rapidly evolving NRDL, where innovative therapies such as those developed by her company are gaining reimbursement more quickly than in previous years. Although reimbursement pricing remains a challenge, she believes this development along with the company’s focus on first- and best-in-class assets and the evolution of China’s commercial insurance market in the past three years position the company for success.

Speaking to current market conditions, Du echoed the words of J.P. Morgan’s Mike Gaito on the April 21 episode of The BioCentury Show.

“As a CEO, you really have to know what you’re focusing on. If you focus on market cap, then you lose your focus,” she said. “Focusing on fundamentals, that’s what we can control.”

The BioCentury Show is sponsored by pathfinder partner Sofinnova Investments. For information on how to sponsor The BioCentury Show and the BioCentury This Week podcast, please contact Sarah Shoaff at sarah.shoaff@biocentury.com.