BIO-Europe 2007 To Bring Out Biotech's Biggest Names And Explore Key Issues For The Industry's Future

Main Category: Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry
Article Date: 02 Oct 2007 - 19:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

EBD Group and the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) announce that BIO-Europe 2007 will bring out many of the most well known and respected names in the biotech industry to confront the key issues affecting the industry's future. With an anticipated 2000 participants, BIO-Europe 2007 is expected to be the largest stand-alone biotechnology partnering event ever held.

Key program highlights of BIO-Europe 2007 include:

- The Changing World Order of Biotech-Pharma - How Will Emerging Realities Affect Your Business Strategy? Moderated by Vaughn M. Kailian, General Partner, MPM Capital, and will also feature Barbara Yanni, Vice President and Chief Licensing Officer, Merck & Co., Inc., Jan Lundberg, Executive Vice President, Discovery Research, AstraZeneca, and John Maraganore, CEO, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. These leaders will discuss the impact of Big Pharma's struggles to meet the financial world's growth expectations on the up and coming, higher growth biotech sector.

- Alternative Financing - Unconventional Routes to Capital. Led by Dr. Ludger Wess, Managing Partner of akampion, this interactive workshop tackles the challenge of a capital marketplace now characterized by fewer life science VC firms facing more pressure for quick exits.

- The Trend Toward Early Stage M&A and Licensing - What are the New Rules to the Dating Game? Dr. Rüdiger Herrmann, Partner, Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw LLP will lead this interactive workshop exploring the change in the industry toward early stage projects versus mid- to late-stage in-licensing and M&A activities.

- Getting to the New Tipping Point: Proof of Concept. With Phase III failure rates increasing, the drug industry needs more products reaching positive proof of concept. That's why the prices of Phase II deals are rising so sharply (upfronts increased more than 50% year over year according to Windhover's Strategic Transactions Database) and why biotechs, big pharmas and major investors are changing their strategies. Moderated by Roger Longman, Managing Partner, Windhover Information, this panel will include Dr. Corinne Savill, Global Head, Search and Evaluation, Novartis, Dr. Gary A. Herman, Executive Director, Experimental Medicine, Merck Research Laboratories and Dr. Paul Stoffels, Company Group Chairman, Global Research & Development, Pharmaceuticals Group, Johnson & Johnson.

- Biotech/Pharma Co-Promotion Rights: An Opportunity or a Challenge? Led by Gayle Mills, Executive Vice President, Business Operations, ROXRO PHARMA, Inc., this panel will dive into co-marketing and co-promotion challenges spurred by the increased partnering between biotech and pharmaceutical companies. Featured panellists include Dr. Rob Wills, Vice President, Alliance Management, Pharmaceuticals Group, Johnson & Johnson, Louis J. Scotti, Vice President, Marketing and Business Development, Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Ben Bonifant, Vice President, Business Development Practice, Campbell Alliance.

- A Day in the Life of Experienced Dealmakers. Now in its 5th consecutive year, this highly popular and provocative plenary session promises to continue its tradition of lively and insightful debate over key issues of strategic deal making by some of the biggest names in biotech. This session is led by James Watson, Managing Director and Head of Merchant Banking, Burrill & Company, joined by Thomas Hofstaetter, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development, Wyeth and John G. Goddard, Global Head and Senior VP of Strategic Planning and Business Development, AstraZeneca.

Other workshops and panels include:

- What is Translational Medicine and How Can Your Company Exploit It?

- US and European Patent Law: Anticipated Changes and the Impact for the Life Sciences Industry

- What You Wish You Knew Before Going to Market in the United States

- From Target to Clinic - Reduce the Time to Your First Important Milestone

- Global Drug Pricing - A Way Out of the Dilemma?


- How Do Recent Changes Within the FDA Affect Your Company's Business Strategy?

- An Experts' View on the State of the Industry

- Pharma's Franchise View on Novel Medicines for CNS Disease

- David vs. Goliath - How Can Mid-Size Pharma Compete in an Environment Dominated by Big Pharma?

- Beyond Antibodies: Building on Protein Scaffolds

- Post-Merger Integration - How Best to Leverage Synergies

A complete list of workshops, panels and abstracts can be accessed here.

Entry to BIO-Europe 2007 is free to the media, including full access to the partnering system, sessions, press conferences, workshops, and pre-arranged partnering meetings. Visit the BIO-Europe conference website here for detailed information on this year's conference and online registration. When you register online, please indicate in the comment field that you are requesting a complimentary press registration.

BIO-Europe 2007 is the preeminent stand-alone partnering event for the biotechnology industry. Delegates from all parts of the biotechnology value-chain come to BIO-Europe to efficiently identify, engage and enter into the strategic relationships that drive their business successfully forward. It is anticipated that this year's BIO-Europe partnering event will draw 2,000 industry attendees from almost 40 countries, representing more than 1,100 companies for three days of high-level networking. BIO-Europe features the industry's most advanced web-based partnering system that delegates will use to generate in excess of 7,000 partnering meetings. BIO-Europe features an exceptional international exhibition where companies, organizations and biotech regions can showcase their offerings. Additional networking opportunities will abound at evening and special events. BIO-Europe is co-developed by EBD Group and the Biotechnology Industry Organization, in partnership with European Biopharmaceutical Enterprises.

About EBD Group

EBD Group International, LLC is the leading partnering firm for the global biotechnology industry. Since 1993, firms in the life sciences have leveraged EBD Group's partnering conferences, technology and services to identify business opportunities and develop strategic relationships that drive their business. EBD Group's conferences (run in collaboration with leading industry partners and international trade associations such as the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) include BIO-Europe (co-organized with BIO), the preeminent stand-alone or ex-U.S. partnering conference for the biotechnology industry; BIO-Europe Spring; the investor conference, BioEquity Europe (co-organized with BioCentury Publications and BIO); and the convergent medical technology partnering conference, BioDevice Partnering. EBD's novel, web-based, partnering software system is also used at numerous third-party events around the world. Outside of the conference format, EBD Group's consultants can provide hands-on assistance for firms seeking to in- or out-license products and technologies. EBD Group has offices in San Diego, Munich and London. For more information visit http://www.ebdgroup.com.

About BIO

BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and 31 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the annual BIO International Convention, the global event for biotechnology. http://www.bio.org.