Marianne De backer m.b.a., m.sc. on cash management
From Vir Biotechnology: Marianne De Backer on Immuno-Oncology, Hepatitis Delta, and Biotech Turnarounds · · IDEA Pharma
“And then third you know I have learned very quickly that cash is king. you know you you can have the best science and the best ideas in the world you need to fund your operations and you need to make sure that you know you have enough cash in the bank. So we have been working extremely hard in pivoting the company, getting the right science on board, doing partnerships that help us bring that right right science internally, but now also really focusing in very hard on making sure that we have the funding to do what is needed to actually translate all that great science and patient impact.”
On , Marianne De backer m.b.a., m.sc., Chief Executive Officer & Director at VIR BIOTECHNOLOGY INC, spoke about cash management during Vir Biotechnology: Marianne De Backer on Immuno-Oncology, Hepatitis Delta, and Biotech Turnarounds on IDEA Pharma.
About Marianne De backer m.b.a., m.sc.
Marianne De Backer, CEO of Vir Biotechnology, discussed the company’s strategic turnaround in an April 2026 podcast interview. She noted that Vir Biotechnology was "incredibly successful during the COVID pandemic" with its drug sotrovimab, but after the virus evolved new variants, the company "went from a billion dollars in revenue one year to almost none the next." De Backer stated that she downsized the company by about one-third and closed some sites, adding that "cash is king" and that "you can have the best science and the best ideas in the world, but you need to fund your operations." De Backer described refocusing Vir Biotechnology on immuno-oncology and infectious disease, highlighting its masked T-cell engager pipeline and PRO-XTEN® masking platform. She said the company secured "more than a half billion in upfront income" through deals with Orion and Astellas, as well as a $173 million financing. De Backer also mentioned meeting with Dr. Mer Machi as part of a group of biotech CEOs, stating that "we are in a competitive global environment" and that she is "hopeful we will see changes to move faster across regulatory processes."