Corporate Development & Strategy (Search and Evaluation) Intern
Description
Ardelyx is a publicly traded commercial biopharmaceutical company founded with a mission to discover, develop and commercialize innovative first-in-class medicines that meet significant unmet medical needs. Ardelyx has two commercial products approved in the United States, IBSRELA® (tenapanor) and XPHOZAH® (tenapanor). Ardelyx has agreements for the development and commercialization of tenapanor outside of the U.S. Kyowa Kirin commercializes PHOZEVEL® (tenapanor) for hyperphosphatemia in Japan. A New Drug Application for tenapanor for hyperphosphatemia has been approved in China with Fosun Pharma. Knight Therapeutics commercializes IBSRELA in Canada.
Position Summary:
The Corporate Development & Strategy Intern will support search and evaluation activities for new business development and licensing (BD&L) opportunities. The team has built a database of potential assets across multiple therapeutic areas and modalities, and this role will focus on conducting a deep dive within a single therapeutic area. The intern will identify assets that meet predefined strategic and scientific parameters and prepare concise overviews for the deal team to review.
Key Responsibilities:
- Review and analyze a curated database of Preclinical through Phase 2 ready assets within a selected therapeutic area (s).
- Apply predefined strategic, clinical, and scientific criteria to identify assets that fit the company’s BD&L parameters.
- Conduct secondary research using proprietary and public data sources (e.g., scientific literature, competitive intelligence, clinical trial databases).
- Develop one-page “tear sheets” summarizing each prioritized asset, including MOA, relevance in disease, and available preclinical and/or clinical data.
- Synthesize complex scientific and market landscape information into clear, structured summaries for the deal team.
- Collaborate with the manager to refine filters, prioritization criteria, and asset short lists based on interim findings.
Desired Outcomes:
- Initial asset list for the chosen therapeutic area, followed by a refined subset based on parameters aligned with the manager.
- A short PowerPoint deck providing a high-level overview of the therapeutic area and prioritized assets.
- A set of one-page tear sheets on a subset of assets (final number to be determined) that the deal team can quickly react to and use to guide BD&L discussions.
Qualifications:
- Currently pursuing a degree in Life Sciences (e.g., Biology, Pharmacology, Biochemistry), Biomedical Engineering, Pharmacy, Business with a strong scientific focus, or a related field.
- Strong scientific foundation and ability to understand mechanisms of action, disease biology, and clinical data at a high level.
- Excellent analytical and critical-thinking skills, with the ability to evaluate and compare assets against structured criteria.
- Proficiency with PowerPoint and comfort summarizing complex information in concise, visual formats.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with attention to detail and organization.
Preferred Skills:
- Familiarity with drug development, clinical trial phases, and basic regulatory concepts.
- Experience conducting literature reviews or working with scientific/clinical databases.
- Interest in corporate development, BD&L, or life sciences strategy.
What You Will Gain:
- Hands-on exposure to search and evaluation in a corporate development & strategy setting.
- Experience applying a scientific background to real-world problem solving and portfolio decision-making.
- Broader understanding of different disease areas, modalities, and how potential assets may translate into patient benefit.
- A tangible work product (tear sheets and overview deck) that demonstrates your ability to bridge science, strategy, and business.
Work Environment:
- Location ideally in or close to Waltham, MA.
The hourly rate for this Internship position is $25/hour. Ardelyx utilizes industry data to ensure that our compensation is competitive and aligned with our industry peers.
Ardelyx is an equal opportunity employer.