Why Pharma products win or lose years before launch
March 19, 2026
In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Farrell Simon, Chief Commercial Officer at Trevi Therapeutics, to discuss what commercial leadership looks like long before launch, sharing lessons from a career that spans Procter & Gamble, Pfizer, and biotech.
Pharma Sessions provides general insights into the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry through conversations with its guests. The content shared in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical, legal, regulatory, or financial advice.
The use of any information discussed in this episode or materials linked from the podcast is at the listener’s own risk. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Jonathan Kaskey, Pharma Sessions, its sponsors, or affiliated organizations.
Any reference to specific products, companies, regulatory pathways, or commercial strategies is provided for discussion purposes only and does not constitute endorsement or validation by the podcast, host, or sponsors.
In this episode of Pharma Sessions, host Jonathan Kaskey is joined by Farrell Simon, Chief Commercial Officer at Trevi Therapeutics, to discuss what commercial leadership looks like long before launch, sharing lessons from a career that spans Procter & Gamble, Pfizer, and biotech.
What You’ll Learn:
- How to start launch preparation in Phase 2
- The portfolio decision framework when scientific promise conflicts with commercial reality
- Why ‘failing fast’ in pharma means testing commercial execution
- How to keep distributed teams motivated across multi-year development cycles
- The culture and risk calculus for moving from large pharma to single-asset biotech
Farrell Simon, Chief Commercial Officer at Trevi Therapeutics. Farrell brings a rare blend of scientific training and business leadership, with a career spanning consumer health, big pharma, and now clinical-stage biotech. From brand turnaround success at Procter & Gamble, to leading billion-dollar franchises and serving as Chief of Staff at Pfizer, to building and scaling Trevi through pivotal clinical and funding milestones, Farrell has operated at every stage of the biopharma lifecycle.
Pharma Sessions provides general insights into the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry through conversations with its guests. The content shared in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical, legal, regulatory, or financial advice.
The use of any information discussed in this episode or materials linked from the podcast is at the listener’s own risk. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Jonathan Kaskey, Pharma Sessions, its sponsors, or affiliated organizations.
Any reference to specific products, companies, regulatory pathways, or commercial strategies is provided for discussion purposes only and does not constitute endorsement or validation by the podcast, host, or sponsors.
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