Empresas y finanzas

BIO-Europe Spring(R) 2008 Facilitates Biotech-Pharma Partnering on an Impressive Scale



    Leaders from the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries
    gathered last week for the 2nd annual BIO-Europe Spring partnering
    conference. The conference was held in Madrid, Spain on April 7-9. In
    only its second year, BIO-Europe Spring has become the second largest
    dedicated partnering event in the biotechnology industry. More
    complete coverage of the event can be found at
    www.ebdgroup.com/partneringnews/.

    The conference drew 1,400 delegates from over 850 companies from
    38 countries around the world. These delegates engaged in some 5,800
    one-to-one partnering meetings featuring over 1,600 projects. In
    addition, there were 16 workshops and panel sessions, and 145 focused
    presentations by biotech companies seeking financing, licensing
    opportunities or partners for advancing their product development.

    The conference featured a comprehensive program of panels and
    workshops where many leading industry figures shared insights and
    views on bio-pharma deal making.

    During the plenary session on new R&D and Licensing Strategies

    both Dr. Greg Wiederrecht, Vice President for External Scientific
    Affairs, Worldwide Licensing and External Research at Merck & Co. and
    Jules Musing, Vice President for Licensing and Business Development at
    Johnson & Johnson, reported that their companies are actively seeking
    partners to take on programs previously developed internally. This
    news from the two big pharma companies promises to take deal-making to
    a new level.

    Conference delegates also packed the session on biosimilars, also
    known as follow-on biologics (FOBs). After years of contentious
    debate, the industry view is that expedited approval pathways for FOBs
    will soon be established in both Europe and the United States. Even
    some of the most steadfast opponents of FOBs have come to the
    realization that their arguments of "Just Say No!" or "The science
    isn´t here yet!" are no longer tenable. The panelists concluded that
    the market perception of the benefits of an FOB will prove critical
    even in cases where biosimilars are in fact "bio-superior" to the
    original compound. The session was moderated by Dr. Ludger Wess

    Managing Partner at akampion and featured Steve Usdin, Senior Editor
    from BioCentury Publications who has covered the policy battles in
    Washington. He was joined on the podium by Dr. Thomas Brennecke, Head
    Business Development from BioGeneriX AG and Cecil Nick, Principal
    Consultant with PAREXEL Consulting.

    Carola Schropp, President, EBD Group, said: "BIO-Europe Spring
    2008 has exceeded expectations for a large and dynamic partnering
    event. Conference delegates from around the world sat down together
    and conducted productive meetings. Successful partnering is about
    creating and maintaining relationships."

    "BIO-Europe Spring, like all EBD Group conferences, strives to
    support the ´human element´ of partnering - the face-to-face contact
    with potential partners to discuss licensing, financing and other
    collaborative programs. The success of BIO-Europe Spring sets the
    stage for our next event, BioPharm America(TM) in Atlanta, Georgia

    September 9-10, 2008."

    Delegate comments:

    Elias Papatheodorou, Chief Executive Officer, Novosom, said: "I
    have a lot of meetings here. This is a very good venue to become known
    in the bio-pharma industry. And because it is a highly focused event
    it is a great opportunity to update and refresh many contacts. There
    is a critical mass here, yet it is not overwhelming, and provides an
    environment for meaningful discussions."

    Dr. Maj-Britt Kaltoft, Vice President for In-Licensing and
    Business Development at Nycomed, stated: "I had 80 meeting requests
    and there were only three that I could dismiss outright. The good news
    is that I was looking at 77 potential opportunities, and the only
    downside is that it takes time to consider and respond to that many
    people. I selected 20 and set up meetings with the partnering
    software, which works very well - it is fast and provides an overview
    of all the scheduling."

    John Hodgson, a founder and executive with Critical I, a
    consulting firm specializing in the European life sciences, said: "At
    this meeting you have people who are getting on with their business.
    They are focused, they know specifically what product or service they
    want to take forward and they are using the partnering software to
    scan and meet."

    About BIO-Europe Spring 2008

    The BIO-Europe Spring(R) event brings together international
    decision-makers from all sectors of the biotechnology industry, and
    features the successful combination of one-to-one meetings, company
    presentations, panel discussions and a lively exhibition.

    Positioned as the springtime counterpart to EBD Group´s flagship
    conference, BIO-Europe, the BIO-Europe Spring event continues the
    tradition of providing life science companies with high caliber
    partnering opportunities. The event enables biotechnology companies to
    identify, meet and network with companies across the life sciences
    value-chain from large biotech and pharma companies to financiers and
    innovative start-ups.

    About EBD Group

    EBD Group 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) include BIO-Europe, the world´s largest stand-alone life
    science partnering conference (organized with the support of the
    Biotechnology Industry Organization, BIO); BIO-Europe Spring(R);
    BioPharm America(TM) (EBD´s new North American partnering event) and
    BioEquity Europe (co-organized with BioCentury Publications and BIO).
    EBD´s sophisticated, web-based, partnering service partneringONE(TM)
    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 the USA and Europe.

    For more information visit www.ebdgroup.com.