One year ago today, Kinara launched with its first feature and podcast, as well as a mission that felt both optimistic and ambitious: To build a community of writers and readers eager to engage with thoughtful, hype-free journalism. As we put it in our Jerry Maguire-ish mission statement about life sciences media: “The space is saturated with pay-to-play content, where many articles are designed to promote vendors rather than foster genuine discussion. Why wasn’t there a platform for stakeholders to discuss the topics that matter to them?”

It continued: “Kinara was born out of a desire to offer something different – a platform where life sciences professionals could discuss real, unadulterated issues: a brand manager openly navigating the compliance process to implement new tech, or a CEO breaking down why 50% of their commercial budget is allocated to digital over traditional sales reps. These are the candid, impactful conversations we’re here to support.”

Some 60 long-form features, 20 podcasts and videos and one job board later, we hope we’ve delivered on that promise. Over the course of the last 12 months, we’ve had the great privilege of sitting down with some of the smartest people in life sciences, who have generously shared their advice, opinions, frustrations and, in one crucial instance, a home remedy for easing the pain of plantar fasciitis. If there’s a takeaway from our first year, it’s that the health marketing, media and technology businesses are positively teeming with big thinkers and dreamers, the great majority of whom are keen to collaborate with like-minded people.

We’re fortunate to have them as a sounding board. We’re even more fortunate to have you as an audience. Thanks for your partnership and engagement, and here’s to many more good years ahead. In that spirit, we present a look back at some of Kinara’s greatest hits.

The stories we’ve published include:

• In-depth profiles of C-level leaders from NewAmsterdam Pharma, GSK, Genentech, ViiV Healthcare and GE HealthCare
• First-person commentaries on topics ranging from the ways pharma fails to prioritize women’s health to the personal toll of Alzheimer’s disease, written by commercial- and tech-side execs at Merck, Amgen, Novartis and AstraZeneca
• Exclusive reports on Iterum Therapeutics’ efforts to reshape the UTI treatment market and the introduction of Endo’s spatial computing injection simulator
• On-site commentary from Fierce Pharma Week and HLTH, as well as look-backs at the pandemic era and look-forwards to the months and years ahead
• Sharp-edged analysis of commercialization and technology trends, including the math and morals of million-dollar cures, the marketing community’s sluggish connection with physician’s assistants and nurse practitioners, the dawn of cognitive augmentation in life sciences and the possibility that we’re living through an AI bubble

Our long-form features have covered the ongoing rise of patient and physician influencers, the resilience of life sciences TV ads, the health literacy pandemic and the industry’s struggles with AI literacy.

• Leaders at 17 of the top 20 pharma companies have contributed to Kinara features, whether as sources or co-authors.
• Bayer, Roche and Teva – you’re next.

The Kinara podcast is the only life sciences podcast to regularly feature pharma CEOs and C-level commercial and M&A executives. Guests have included:

• The CEOs of Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Exact Sciences, Sage Therapeutics, Akari Therapeutics, Alkermes and NewAmsterdam Pharma
• Eli Lilly’s global chief customer officer, Gilead’s SVP, corporate development and Ascendis Pharma’s US president
• Coming soon: Collegium Pharmaceutical president and CEO Vikram Karnani

Our Five Questions With… video series has showcased the next generation of pharma marketing and health-tech leaders.

• Guests have included executives from AstraZeneca, Currax Pharmaceuticals, ViiV Healthcare and Gilead.
• We’re currently casting the next season of Five Questions With…, so send any/all candidates our way.

The Kinara job board, launched in October, reinforces our central mission of connecting and empowering members of the life sciences community.

• The board rolled out with more than 80 open high-level positions at Sanofi, Novartis, Amgen and Johnson & Johnson, and has since added jobs at Eisai, Gilead, Takeda and BMS.
• It’s free and it’s awesome.

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The first year of Kinara has been an incredible ride. Many thanks again to everyone who has joined us on the journey.

Have an idea for a Kinara story? Or maybe you want to write one yourself? Drop us a note at hello@kinara.co, join the conversation on X (@KinaraBio) and subscribe on the website to receive Kinara content.