Intro

Synopsis: Addiction is often misunderstood as a failure of willpower—but emerging science increasingly shows it may be deeply rooted in biology. In this episode of Biotech 2050, recorded during JPM 2026 in San Francisco, host Alok Tayi speaks with Cary Claiborne, CEO of Adial Pharmaceuticals, about a new precision-medicine approach to tackling one of the world’s most widespread and undertreated conditions: alcohol use disorder. Cary shares the personal and professional journey that brought him into addiction medicine—from a career in finance at global corporations to helping take pioneering biotech companies public and ultimately leading Adial’s mission to address addiction through science. After losing a close family member to addiction, Cary became determined to focus his work on diseases where innovation could create meaningful societal impact. The discussion explores Adial’s genetically targeted therapy, designed to reduce alcohol cravings without requiring patients to stop drinking entirely. Cary explains how their repurposed low-dose therapy, paired with a simple cheek-swab diagnostic test, could help identify the patients most likely to benefit—bringing a precision-medicine framework to addiction treatment, an area that has seen little therapeutic innovation in more than two decades. Alok and Cary also examine the broader landscape of addiction science, the societal costs of untreated alcohol use disorder, and how AI-driven clinical simulations are helping design smarter Phase III trials. Looking ahead, Cary discusses how this scientific platform could expand into other impulse-driven conditions, including opioid addiction, gambling, and compulsive behaviors. It’s a compelling conversation about precision psychiatry, addiction medicine, and the future of neuropsychiatric drug development. Biography: Cary Claiborne was named Chief Executive Officer of Adial Pharmaceuticals in August 2022 after previously being appointed Chief Operating Officer in December 2021 and being named to the Board of Directors. Mr. Claiborne previously served as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and board member of Indivior PLC, a publicly traded specialty pharmaceutical company developing medicines to treat addiction and serious mental illnesses. Among his accomplishments, Mr. Claiborne led the company’s spin off from its then parent company, Reckitt Benckiser, to become an independent, listed company. While at Indivior, he established and oversaw corporate reporting, internal audit, tax, treasury, external audit, and information technology. Prior to joining Indivior, Mr. Claiborne served as the CFO of Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a global biopharmaceutical company, which was later sold to Mallinckrodt. Before joining Sucampo, Mr. Claiborne served as CFO and Corporate Secretary of Osiris Therapeutics, Inc., and oversaw corporate finance during the company’s initial public offering. He graduated from Rutgers University with a B.A. in Business Administration and from Villanova University with an M.B.A. and was a National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Governance Fellow.