Ted Love on drug development
From Ep164: Ted Love and Alan Anderson on Raising the Bar for Sickle Cell Disease Patients · · The Long Run with Luke Timmerman
“Oxryta was working by preventing the hemoglobin inside the red cell from sticking together and forming rods, and we invented a second‑generation therapy, GBT601, that looked like it could almost completely stop the polymerization — it might represent a potential pharmacologic cure for sickle cell disease.”
On , Ted Love, Former CEO at Global Blood Therapeutics, spoke about drug development during Ep164: Ted Love and Alan Anderson on Raising the Bar for Sickle Cell Disease Patients on The Long Run with Luke Timmerman.
About Ted Love
Ted Love, a cardiologist and former CEO of Global Blood Therapeutics (GBT), has continued to advocate for sickle cell disease patients and the biotechnology industry. In 2025, he appeared on a podcast where he discussed his work as chairman of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and his involvement with the nonprofit Sickle Forward, including a planned climb of Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for newborn screening in Africa. Love described GBT's development of the sickle cell drug Oxbryta (voxelotor) and a second-generation therapy, GBT601, which he said could represent a potential pharmacologic cure by nearly completely stopping hemoglobin polymerization. He noted that GBT became the single largest investor in fundamental research for sickle cell disease globally, raising over $1.5 billion, and was acquired by Pfizer for $5.4 billion in 2022. Love has frequently spoken about health disparities in sickle cell disease, which he has described as a disease that has been "largely ignored" compared to conditions like cystic fibrosis. He has stated that the delivery of care to sickle cell patients is "fraught with racism" and that patients are often stigmatized as drug seekers. Love has called for the passage of the Sickle Cell Treatment Act to fund comprehensive treatment centers and has encouraged providing comprehensive preventative care. As BIO chair, he has focused on reframing the industry's narrative and has opposed Federal Trade Commission actions that he said could hinder small biotech companies from partnering with larger firms to bring innovations to patients worldwide. Love has expressed hope that within the next decade, early diagnosis and effective oral therapies could prevent people from dying from sickle cell disease.