Carlsbad, CA and San Francisco, CA, May 6, 2009: EBD Group today announced that many of the world’s leading life science venture capital (VC) firms will participate in the North American partnering conference, BioPharm America™ 2009, taking place at the San Francisco Marriott, September 16–18.

Held in the largest cluster of VCs and biotech companies in the world, BioPharm America 2009 has already gained the support of 22 of the top VCs in biotech. Their support also extends to participation in the BioPharm America Investment Advisory Committee, which helps direct the overall conference program. This exceptional level of VC participation further ensures that BioPharm America 2009 will feature a high concentration of quality early-mid stage firms from among the top healthcare VC portfolios.

“With the IPO and financing climate currently in the doldrums in both Europe and the US, the most important business objectives for our portfolio companies are frequently in the partnering and licensing area. Often the companies’ future expansion plans are acutely dependent on such success,” said Dr. Jonathan MacQuitty, Partner, Abingworth.

Dr. Rodney A. Ferguson, Managing Director, Panorama Capital, expanding MacQuitty’s point said that “corporate partnering is the life blood of venture-backed biotech companies and critical to their survival and success.”

James N. Topper, General Partner, Frazier Healthcare Ventures, commented, "Strategic partnering and licensing transactions have become an essential part of the business model for privately backed biopharmaceutical companies. As a result, it is critical that companies begin to develop the appropriate set of relationships as early as possible during their development."

Morrie Ruffin, Managing Director, Adjuvant Global Advisors, added, “We are very encouraged that the top venture firms have embraced the idea of establishing a major life sciences partnering and business event in California. Their participation signals the importance of this type of initiative to all venture-backed firms and also to the large and mid-tier pharma in the U.S., Europe, and Asia looking for compelling in-licensing and partnership opportunities.”

“We welcome the wide support of the VC community in making BioPharm America the most productive and opportunity rich partnering event in North America,” stated Carola Schropp, President, EBD Group. “Our two largest European meetings, BIO-Europe and BIO-Europe Spring®, have recently experienced a dramatic spike in partnering intensity, generating a combined 17,500 one-to-one meetings. We see this pace of partnering continuing at BioPharm America.”

To date, VC firms committed to participate in BioPharm America 2009 include: Abingworth, Aisling Capital, Alta Partners, Burrill & Company, Clarus Ventures, Delphi Ventures, Essex Woodlands Health Ventures, Frazier Healthcare Ventures, InterWest Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Lumira Capital, Mohr Davidow Ventures, MPM Capital, New Leaf Venture Partners, Panorama Capital, ProQuest Investments, Prospect Venture Partners, Skyline Ventures, Sofinnova Ventures, TPG Biotech, U.S. Venture Partners, Versant Ventures

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^®, the world's largest stand-alone life science partnering conferences, supported by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)
• BioPharm America™, EBD Group’s North American partnering event
• 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
• ChinaBio^® Partnering Forum, the first dedicated biotech/pharma partnering conference in China
  

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 please visit www.ebdgroup.com.

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

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