Carlsbad, CA; Zurich, Switzerland and Vienna, Austria – October 19, 2009 – Less than two weeks remains before BIO-Europe 2009, the world’s largest stand-alone partnering conference, takes place in Vienna, Austria on November 2–4. In response to the continuous growth and popularity of this well established biotechnology partnering event, EBD Group is announcing additional conference program highlights to offer even greater insight into a variety of important industry topics.

To learn more about any of the sessions below, please visit the BIO-Europe 2009 Program page (http://www.ebdgroup.com/bioeurope/program.htm).

From the Exception to the Rule: How Personalized Medicine Could Change Oncology Deals
John Freshley of Compendia Bioscience and a panel featuring Linda Pullan of Pullan Consulting, Kinney Horn of Genentech and Tracey Colpitts of Abbott Molecular will explore the legitimacy of recent targeted clinical trials of personalized medicine in oncology and how these results will affect dealmaking opportunities in the future.

Creating and Maintaining Partnerships in Challenging Times: Adapting for Success
Diane Romza-Kutz of Troutman Sanders will lead a workshop on the challenges for partnerships during the recent global economic crisis and on how new internal business structures can foster growth and change through renegotiation. Panelists include Lesley Stolz of Sutro Biopharma, Simon Dew of Astellas Pharma Europe, Brad Prosek of Cubist Pharmaceuticals and James Manuso of SuperGen.

CMO-Biotech Partnerships: Ways to Successful Collaboration
Developing partnering strategies between CMOs, drug delivery companies and fill-and-finish experts and their biotech and pharmaceutical counterparts is a critical component of bringing new drugs to market. Led by Klaus Binder of Binder Associates and featuring Robert Becker of Eurand, Rolf Douwenga of DSM Biologics, Oskar Gold of Vetter Pharma International, Gregor Dudziak of Rentschler Biotech and Ole Fütterer of Scil Proteins Production, this workshop will delineate the importance of collaboration and communication in all aspects of drug development.

Honing the Perfect Pitch: Using Communications to Get Results
MacDougall Biomedical Communications President Douglas MacDougall leads a panel of executives and communications experts on the art of efficiently initiating a partnering interest in technology and programs. Panelists include Gayle Mills of ROXRO Pharma, Robert Wills of Johnson & Johnson, Martina Molsbergen of Sorrento Therapeutics and Margaret Beer of Merck & Co., Inc.

Clinical Trial Regulations 2009: Not Only Snakes, but also Ladders for Your Development Programs
Moderator Tony Fox of EBD Consulting and an expert panel including Edgar Fenzl of FGK Clinical Research and Ulrich Granzer of Granzer Regulatory Consulting and Services will discuss how Pediatric Investigation Plans, biomarkers and Good Clinical Practice inspection can impact clinical trials for better or worse.

The State of Biotech in Eastern Europe: What the Future Might Hold
In this workshop, the 14allbio Biotechnology Report offers a critical examination of biotechnology industries in the newest EU member and candidate countries. Led by Patrik Frei of Venture Valuation, and including insights from Werner Wolf of Bio Innovations GmbH and Ludovic Lacaine of EuropaBio, the workshop will also feature four presentations from companies representing the EU’s newest member countries: Gabriela Fabian of Avicor, Peter Ferdinandy of PharmaHungary Group, Zoltan Kovacs of Astrid Research and Robert Wójcicki of Selvita.

Rethinking the Drug Development Business Model
Now that the financial crisis has rendered many of the drug industry’s business models unsustainable, biotechnology is facing an urgent need to re-invent itself in order to continue bringing novel drugs to market. Moderated by Denise Pollard-Knight of Nomura Phase4 Ventures, this plenary session will address the ongoing changes in the life science industry and how they will impact business strategies in the future. Panelists include Hákan Björklund of Nycomed, Arlene Morris of Affymax, Ian Nicholson of Chroma Therapeutics and Dan Zabrowski of F. Hoffmann-La Roche.

Looking for a Silver Lining: 2009 and Prospects for the Year Ahead
This panel, moderated by Ben Bonifant of Campbell Alliance, will reflect on the effects of the recent stall of financial markets and what it means for the future of both emerging biotechs and large pharmaceutical companies. Panelists Barbara Yanni of Merck & Co., Michael Yeomans of Bayer and Shelagh Wilson of GSK’s European CEEDD will discuss both the setbacks and the opportunities of an adverse market.

Option Deals: Fad or Long Term Trend?
Economic volatility created a need for option deals in order for pharmaceutical companies to mitigate risk, and for biotech companies to secure funding, but are they here to stay? Glen Giovannetti of Ernst & Young and a panel comprised of Henry Skinner of Novartis Venture Funds, Nigel Clark of Vernalis and Katrine Bosley of Avila Therapeutics will tackle these and other questions about the future of option deals.

The Dos and Don’ts of Due Diligence
Orchestrating a partnering agreement requires not only innovation and negotiation but also a complex financial analysis that potentially involves everyone within a biotech company. Fran Heller of Exelixis and a panel comprised of Christian Pangratz of Nektar Therapeutics, David Harrison of AstraZeneca, Marion Roy of sanofi-aventis and Henry Skinner of Novartis Venture Funds will reflect on their experiences in the due diligence process, how to make the process work and who needs to be involved.

Portfolio Management: How to Optimize Diverse Clinical Assets
Ruediger Herrmann of WilmerHale will lead a panel discussion on how changes in the pharma/biotech industry will impact portfolio management. The loss of blockbuster products, thin pipelines and increases in costs and competition are a few of the reasons why portfolio management of big pharma and biotech companies needs to be re-evaluated to capitalize on market changes and avoid the pitfalls of outdated business models.

Funding Early Stage Programs in Difficult Times
Without traditional financing sources, companies are looking towards alternative financing options. This panel, which will be moderated by Mike Ward of BioCentury Publications and will include panelists Roel Bulthuis of Merck Serono and Martin Buckland of Astex Therapeutics, will address new approaches to funding and re-evaluate funding strategies that may no longer sustain early stage development.

Vaccines: New Developments and Current Challenges
With steady increases in revenues due to emerging products and the threat of pandemics like swine flu, this panel will discuss the future of the vaccine sector in terms of the risks and rewards of a growing market. Moderated by Gilles Nobécourt of Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners, this panel will include Alexander von Gabain of Intercell, Noel Barrett of Baxter BioScience, Philippe Dro of Glycovaxin and Frank Grimaud of Vivalis.

The CNS Marketplace: Mitigating Risk and Maximizing Reward in Targeting Blockbuster Market Opportunities
Faced with an aging population and an unsteady economic base, how do companies navigate the pitfalls of a costly development landscape and an ill defined regulatory system for CNS drugs and devices? And how will R&D be affected by nebulous pricing models? Moderator Bruce Leuchter of Weill Cornell Medical College/New York Presbyterian Hospital leads a panel which includes Kees Been of Envivo Pharmaceuticals, Fabrice Egros of UCB Pharma, Konrad Glund of Probiodrug and Lubor Gaal of Bristol-Myers Squibb.

US Healthcare Reform: The International Impact on Innovation and the Business of Biotech
Gary Reedy of Johnson & Johnson moderates a panel that includes Brian Atwood of Versant Ventures, Ted Buckley of BIO, Steve Holtzman of Infinity Pharmaceuticals and John Andrews of NeurAxon Inc and which will address issues such as product pricing and re-imbursement in the US market and how innovation and value can be affected by future legislation.

Beyond Monoclonal Antibodies: Strategies for Accessing Next Generation Blockbusters
With buoyant investment and partnering opportunities in place from years of steady investment and acquisitions, the biopharmaceutical market is primed for the next wave of next generation antibody technologies. Debbie Allen of PolyTherics will moderate a panel that will help indentify investment and strategic partnering opportunities as a forerunner to mergers and acquisitions in discussion with Anja Koenig, Novartis Venture Funds, Hans Christinger of Roche Pharma Partnering and Nils Debus of Bayer Schering Pharma.

A Day in the Life of Experienced Dealmakers
For the 7th year in a row, this discussion session will explore the intricacies of dealmaking issues for biopharmaceutical companies, means of accessing capital and the future of out-licensing and divestments. James Watson of Burrill & Company leads an expert panel comprised of Doug Giordano of Pfizer, Gino Santini of Eli Lilly & Company, Heather Preston of TPG Biotech and Shaun Grady of AstraZeneca.

About BIO-Europe
BIO-Europe 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. The annual BIO-Europe partnering event draws over 2,500 industry attendees from almost 50 countries, representing more than 1,350 companies for three days of high level networking. BIO-Europe is organized by EBD Group with the support of the Biotechnology Industry Organization. For more information please visit http://www.ebdgroup.com/bioeurope

Notes to Editors:
Entry to BIO-Europe 2009 is free to members of the press, including full access to the partnering system, sessions, press conferences, workshops, and pre-arranged partnering meetings. Visit the BIO-Europe conference website at http://www.ebdgroup.com/bioeurope 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: http://www.ebdgroup.com/bioeurope/press_reg.htm.

About EBD Group
EBD Group is the leading partnering firm for the global life science industry. Since 1993, biotech, pharma and medical device companies have leveraged EBD Group’s partnering conferences, technology and services to identify business opportunities and develop strategic relationships essential to their success. EBD Group’s conferences are run with the support of leading corporations and international trade associations, and include:

• BIO-Europe and BIO-Europe Spring®, Europe’s largest life science partnering conferences, supported by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)
• ChinaBio® Partnering Forum, the first dedicated biotech/pharma partnering conference in China, co-produced with ChinaBio® LLC
• BioPharm America™, the fastest growing partnering event in North America
• Biotech Showcase™, a unique forum in San Francisco for presenting to investors and business development executives, co-produced with Demy-Colton Life Science Advisors
• EuroMedtech™, EBD Group’s new partnering event for the innovative medical technology industry
• BioEquity Europe, the investor conference co-organized with BioCentury Publications and BIO

EBD Group’s sophisticated web-based partnering service, partneringONE®, is used as the partnering engine at numerous third-party events around the world.
Outside of the conference format, EBD Group’s consultants 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.

 

Contact:
Constantine Theodoropulos
EBD Group
+1 617 292 7319
ctheodoropulos@ebdgroup.com

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