Saadia Basharat

Background

Saadia has experience in technology assessment of a wide range of life science technologies, market opportunity assessment, business-plan development, competitor landscape analysis, due diligence and asset valuations. Saadia holds an Honours degree in Biomedical Informatics, a Master of Science degree in Molecular Medicine and a PhD in Medicine from Imperial College.

Examples of her work are:

Product development strategy

• Appraisal of 14 different autoimmune and complement-mediated diseases against the technical capabilities of a next-generation AAV gene therapy platform, with a focus on mechanism of action and translation to early clinical trials
• Development of a Target Product Profile (TPP) for a gene therapy to treat a rare cardiovascular disorder, addressing factors such as target patient population; dosing; delivery method; standard of care; unmet need and clinical differentiation
• Supported one of the UK’s biggest charities in better understanding its portfolio, identifying investments that could replace the charity’s imminently receding revenue stream, and better understanding areas of research that should be supported in future funding rounds
• Market opportunity assessment for an antibiotic potentiator therapeutic in the context of gram-negative nosocomial infections
• Review of the glioblastoma (GBM) landscape and target product profile for a novel therapy for GBM, including US and EU-based KOL and payer reactions to the proposed TPP, its clinical attractiveness, value proposition, and clinical evidence generation requirements

Technical and commercial due diligence

• Assessment of advanced plasma products, focusing on prospective differentiators of the novel therapeutics, target product profiles, subsequent target indications and clinical development
• Commercial due diligence of a novel vaccine platform technology with the potential for vaccine products against herpes simplex virus (HSV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Influenza and Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections
• Financial due diligence on proprietary mAbs against a novel liver disease target for the treatment of inflammatory disorders and fibrosis
• Due diligence on a clinical stage oncology therapeutic company developing a beta secretase inhibitor that targets the notch pathway
• Business plan validation and quantification of the commercial value in Europe of a reformulated anxiolytic commonly prescribed for anxiety disorder

Pricing and reimbursement strategy

• Systematic study to test European payer attitudes toward a reformulated therapeutic for the treatment of a rare inflammatory disorder of the bowel with no currently licenced treatment available, exploring price ranges and the evidence that payers likely require to justify reimbursement
• In-depth US and EU-based KOL and payer research aimed at understanding acceptable pricing, as well as the evidence base that would be needed to support reimbursement of a new class of peptide-based coagulants/haemostats to treat surgical bleeding
• Pilot programme of EU payer research to establish the price that would be reimbursed for a rare mast cell disease treatment, both before and after availability of the generic product already marketed for other inflammatory diseases
• EU-based payer research to determine payer attitude towards reimbursement of a novel device for delivery of a reformulated treatment for heart failure, with a focus on the minimum evidence requirements and market access issues
• USA-based KOL and payer research into the prospects for a cell therapy to treat critical limb ischemia (CLI), identifying the minimum level of clinical performance that would be considered clinically viable and assessing the likely reimbursement level for the product

Asset valuations

• Independent valuation of immuno-oncology pipeline consisting of clinical and pre-clinical stage bispecific antibodies (BsAb) to treat various solid tumours
• Commercial and technical assessment of a gene therapy platform with potential products for CNS, ocular and immuno-oncology fields, including a valuation trajectory and considering the value of different commercialisation pathways such as out-licensing, co-development and spin-out
• Valuation of an early stage treatment (therapeutic and medical device combination) for onychomycosis
• Valuation of a set of point-of-care diagnostic tests for chronic and hard-to-heal wounds, specifically leg ulcers; pressure ulcers and diabetic-foot ulcers
• Valuation model quantifying the size of the potential opportunity for an early stage siRNA knock-down technology to increase chemo-sensitivity of tumour cells, and review of the possibility of merging with, or acquiring a substantial equity position in a partner company

Technology scouting

• Early stage in-licensing support for a Swiss pharma company, sourcing novel oncology and anti-infective therapeutic opportunities from the UK since 2015
• EX-USA early stage in-licensing support for a Canadian biotech company, sourcing novel oncology and fibrosis therapeutic opportunities