Big Bio Names to Explore Key Issues

Bio-Europe 2007, to be held Nov. 12-14 in Hamburg, Germany, will present many of the most respected names in biotechnology to discuss key issues in the life sciences industry and the deals that drive it. The event is expected to be the largest stand-alone biotechnology event ever held, said its sponsors, EBD Group International LLC and the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), in partnership with European Biopharmaceutical Enterprises. About 2000 are expected to attend from all segments of the industry and almost 40 countries, representing more than 1100 companies, for three days of networking.

It will also feature an international exhibition and networking opportunities at evening and special events, and a Web-based partnering system for delegates that its organizers said will generate more than 7000 meetings.

Sessions will be held on the following topics:

"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 featuring 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 pharmeceutical companies' struggles to meet the financial world’s growth expectations for the biotech sector.
"Alternative Financing: Unconventional Routes to Capital" -- Led by Ludger Wess, managing partner with Akampion, a network of professionals who provide strategic investor and public relations services to biotechnology and medical techology companies. "This interactive workshop tackles the challenge of a capital marketplace now characterized by fewer life science VC firms facing more pressure for quick exits," conference organizers said in a statement.
"The Trend Toward Early Stage M&A and Licensing: What are the New Rules to the Dating Game?" 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 merger-acquisition (M&A) activities.
"Getting to the New Tipping Point: Proof of Concept" -- Moderated by Roger Longman, managing partner, Windhover Information, this panel will include Corinne Savill, global head, search and evaluation, Novartis; Gary A. Herman, executive director, experimental medicine, Merck Research Laboratories; and Paul Stoffels, company group chairman, global research and 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 examine marketing and -promotion challenges spurred by biotech-pharmaceutical partnerships. Panelists will include 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 Deal-Makers" -- This highly popular and provocative plenary session promises to continue its five-year tradition of lively and insightful debate over key issues of strategic deal-making by some of the biggest names in biotechnology. This session will be led by James Watson, managing director and head of merchant banking, Burrill and Co., joined by Thomas Hofstaetter, senior vice president of corporate development, Wyeth; and John G. Goddard, global head and senior vice president of strategic planning and business development, AstraZeneca.

Workshops and panels will also be held on topics such as translational medicine, US and European patent law, going to market in the US, drug pricing, changes within the FDA, and novel medicines for central nervous sytems disease.

For more information, visit: www.bio.org.