Jeremy Levin

Jeremy Levin

Co-Founder & Executive Chairman, Ovid Therapeutics

Jeremy Levin, D.Phil, MB BChir, is co-founder and Executive Chairman of Ovid Therapeutics, a public company developing medicines for epilepsies and seizure-related disorders. He is concurrently chairman of Ceryvyn Therapeutics.

Before Ovid he was President and CEO of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. Prior to Teva he sat on the executive committee of Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he was the architect and lead of the String of Pearls strategy. He came to Bristol from Novartis, where he was global head of strategic alliances. He has served on the boards of Biocon and Lundbeck, and has served on the board and executive committee of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, which he formerly chaired.

He earned a first-class degree in zoology and then a master’s degree and doctorate in chromatin structure at the University of Oxford, and his medical and surgical degrees at the University of Cambridge. He has practiced medicine at university hospitals in England, South Africa and Switzerland, and is the author of Biotech in the Balance: Saving a Strategic Industry in an Age of Distrust.

On Open Door Salon

“Sara Jane Demy and Jeremy Levin on Where Biotech Money Goes When Venture Capital Stops”
Sara Jane Demy & Jeremy Levin · August 19, 2026

Episode page & show notes on Open Door Salon

“The question here is not, is China a force in biotech? The question is, when will it become the dominant force?”Jeremy Levin, on Open Door Salon (on how the competitive debate has moved on)

“innovation won't stop. It absolutely won't. It'll simply migrate.”Jeremy Levin, on Open Door Salon (on what happens if the choices are not made)

“Their interest is novel, long term, and they're making bets, not inconsiderable, and they should be considered.”Jeremy Levin, on Open Door Salon (on family offices as a source of biotech capital)

“I, Jeremy Levin, will resign from Bristol-Myers Squibb in the event that the CTLA-4 trial does not succeed.”Jeremy Levin, on Open Door Salon (the resignation he wrote on a napkin to force through the Medarex acquisition)

In this episode

There's no other industry like this
Introduction
The troops without supplies
What the war does to the industry
Hormuz: plastics, fertilizer and food security
Is China gaining from the war?
Why CEOs now trust Chinese clinical data
The question isn't if China leads, it's when
What disruption did to the US innovation engine
Innovation won't stop, it will migrate
What gets repaired and what doesn't
The A-B-C round model isn't there anymore
Back to basics: be fearless
Advice for people still inside government
Is the foundation still standing?
The hardest decision of your career
The resignation written on a napkin

Topics

Biotech LeadershipPharmaceutical M&ABiotech FundingUS-China CompetitivenessDrug Development

Watch on Open Door Salon

Where Biotech Money Goes When Venture Capital Stops | Sara Jane Demy & Jeremy Levin

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