A Day in the Life of a Pharma Executive: Lyndra CEO Patricia Hurter
In the 'A Day in the Life of a Pharma Executive' series, we follow Lyndra Therapeutics CEO Patricia Hurter to see how she balances her equestrian hobby with company management, and review the company's recent progress in the Phase III trial of an oral once-weekly schizophrenia treatment, as well as her experience responding to the Silicon Valley Bank crisis.
Welcome to the "A Day in the Life of a Pharma Executive" series, which aims to present the real daily work of executives in the pharmaceutical industry. In this installment, we step behind the scenes with Patricia Hurter, CEO of Lyndra Therapeutics—whose days begin with long horseback rides and end with reading books.
Featured in this installment:Patricia Hurter, CEO and Board Member of Lyndra Therapeutics.
About Lyndra:Lyndra is not focused on developing new drugs, but rather aims to significantly change the treatment paradigm for existing common diseases through "ultra-long-acting" oral formulations. Its LYNX drug delivery platform is based on more than 50 patents, covering "design, engineering, and materials science to achieve significantly reduced dosing frequency," with the goal of transforming once-daily oral medications into once-weekly or once-monthly treatment regimens. The company has R&D laboratories, manufacturing facilities, and approximately 115 full-time employees.
To date, Lyndra has reformulated 19 therapies in the lab and advanced 6 drug candidates into clinical studies, with an initial focus on central nervous system disorders (such as Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia) and diseases with significant public health impact (such as opioid use disorder).
Latest developments:Earlier this month, Lyndra dosed the first patient in a pivotal trial testing once-weekly oral risperidone (LYN-005) in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder.
Here, Hurter shares her morning routine, how she has reduced meeting time, and her experience leading Lyndra through the Silicon Valley Bank crisis.
A day in the life of Hurter
How the day begins:I usually wake up between 5 and 6 a.m. The first thing I do is check email—it's a bad habit, but I do it. Then I feed the dog, make tea—which is very important—stretch, change into my riding clothes, and head out for a ride.
"There are very few sports that give you an adrenaline rush and also make you feel connected to something spiritual."
—Patricia Hurter, CEO of Lyndra Therapeutics
I compete in equestrian events and am an amateur rider in 1.1-meter or 1.3-meter jumping competitions. In the summer, my horse is in Virginia, and in the winter, in Florida. I compete in both states, including a historic horse show in Virginia—the longest continuously running equestrian competition in the world, dating back to 1853.
On weekdays, I ride for about an hour, and on weekends, I ride for the entire morning. I ride on scenic trails with rolling hills—it really relieves stress. There are very few sports that give you an adrenaline rush and also make you feel connected to something spiritual. It makes my heart happy and is good for the soul.
The first person Hurter talks to each day:Jessica Ballinger, Chief Operating Officer and President. She has been here since the company's second year of operations and is my right hand. She knows the ins and outs of everything and always has a handle on the big picture.
Key metrics Hurter tracks:We just launched our first Phase III clinical trial, which is a huge milestone for the company and very challenging. But it was accomplished by our team. We were closely tracking production progress to ensure supplies for the study were ready, so now the focus is on enrollment rates, screening failure rates, and the like. At the same time, we are closely monitoring cash flow because the current financial environment is challenging.
How much time Hurter spends in meetings each day:In the past, meetings often filled the day from morning to night, but in recent months, I have been trying to carve out more thinking time. So recently, I restructured the leadership team to be leaner, with each member overseeing more functional areas. For example, I used to have both a head of R&D and a head of manufacturing, but now one person reports to me for both functions. This means I have fewer direct reports and attend fewer granular technical meetings. I have delegated more to others, which has been helpful.
"All of our funds were at Silicon Valley Bank, and when it failed, it was one of the worst weekends of my life."
—Patricia Hurter, CEO of Lyndra Therapeutics
When I have a few free minutes and a clear mind, I think about investor relations, read industry news, and brainstorm companies whose technology we might want to integrate, as well as potential partners that could create synergies with us.
The biggest issue keeping Hurter up at night:Entering Phase III trials made me anxious; I worried that if something went wrong, we wouldn't reach this point—but we did. Now, the issue is funding and the external financial environment. All of our funds were at Silicon Valley Bank, and when it failed, it was one of the worst weekends of my life. We ultimately came through without losing funds because the federal government stepped in—but for a few days, there was uncertainty.
What Hurter learned from the banking crisis:To pay more attention to how funds are managed. It's difficult because there are so many things you need to focus on. But what helped was that a CEO forum formed during COVID sprang into action that weekend. It's a WhatsApp chat group of about 100 biotech CEOs, and many people were helping each other, sharing information, and offering advice. This made me realize the importance of having a strong network. When you're the CEO of a small company, you need the collective resources of the entire community.
The most important aspect of Hurter's job:Setting the right strategy for the company and ensuring we have the resources to execute it. Raising capital is important, then hiring the right people and ensuring they are properly motivated and satisfied. Therefore, you must have the right company culture. Additionally, knowing when to change direction. You may have Strategy A, but if it's not working, you have to pivot.
Leadership traits Hurter is working on:The most important thing is holding employees accountable and learning to delegate more. I tend to be hands-on, but that approach is not scalable and doesn't develop the team for the future.
How Hurter unwinds after work:I love reading and read almost every night before bed. I read quickly—about one to two books per week, and on vacation, almost two books a day.
One of Hurter's recent favorite reads:"Lessons in Chemistry" by Bonnie Garmus. It's about a female research chemist in the 1960s navigating workplace harassment in a male-dominated world, yet it remains humorous, thought-provoking, and very entertaining.