Special Keynote Speaker – Joshua Boger, Ph.D.
This year Foley welcomed Joshua Boger, Ph.D., founder and retired-CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated and immediate-past-chairman of BIO's Board of Directors. A true industry champion, Dr. Boger has a comprehensive understanding of the legal, scientific, and financial aspects of running a biotech company. During his opening keynote, Dr. Boger  presented The Impact of Health Care Reform on Investment & Innovation in the Life Sciences Industry.

Lunch Keynote Presentation — Foley hosted Dr. Thomas Novak, Head of Discovery Technologies, Roche Palo Alto, who addressed the impact of cellular therapeutics on diagnostic medicine and personalized therapeutics within the pharmaceutical industry.

During a full day of in-depth panel discussions, life sciences CEOs, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, managers, and in-house counsel addressed:

• Innovative deal structures for today's economy
• Big pharma update and partnering opportunities
• Key indicators of value & success: what investors are looking for
• Life Sciences Opportunities in India & China

Please see below for presentation hand-outs and information on our speakers.

For more information on the 2009 Life Sciences Event, please contact Meg Ryan at mryan@foley.com or 312.832.5778.

Co-Location Information
Foley's Life Sciences Conference co-located with the Emerging Technologies Conference. Learn more about Foley's Emerging Technologies Conference.

In Collaboration With:

    

Key Indicators of Value & Success in a Life Science Company: What Investors Look For
Venture Capital and strategic investors value new and emerging life science companies differently in these challenging times. Entrepreneurs have been forced to modify business plans to stay afloat, while investors have taken a different approach to determining a life science company's value. This session will cover long-term strategies that emerging life science businesses should consider when seeking investors, while highlighting opportunities for investors in discovering and creating sustainable value. Diverse perspectives from angel investors to mid-tier funds Issues and perspective from the entrepreneur's view State of the venture and strategic markets and current trends Factors to be considered in determining the investment opportunities and future returns of life science companies The role of IP in value creation Understanding market opportunities and constraints Panelists: Gabor Garai, Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP Patrick Heron, General Partner, Frazier Healthcare Ventures Jay S. Kunin, Ph.D., Vice President, TechCoast Angels Bill Molloie, Partner, San Diego Life Sciences Lead, Pricewaterhouse Coopers Hans Petersen, CEO, Traversa Therapeutics
Life Sciences Opportunities in India & China: From Innovation to Commercialization
China and India are emerging as major players in the life sciences industry. Both countries have a wealth of top talent as well as rapidly-improving resources for the industry. Both countries also constitute important current and potential markets for drugs, devices and diagnostics, and are also projected to be major sources of innovation in the not-too-distant future. This panel will explore the significant opportunities in China and India, in terms not only of expanding operations to both countries, but also in terms of working with innovative companies that originate from China and India.   Moderator: David A. Charapp, Special Counsel, Foley & Lardner LLP Panelists: Stephen A. Bent, Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP Friedhelm Blobel, Ph.D., President, CEO, Director,  SciClone Pharmaceuticals Kim Kamdar, Ph.D., Principal at Domain Associates Sanjay Shukla, M.D., M.S., Chief Executive Officer, RxMD SESSION MATERIALS Presentation
Outlook and Opportunities: Healthcare In the Era Of Personalized Medicine
Personalized medicine and cellular therapeutics could open new doors to safe and effective therapies. Research institutions, pharmaceutical companies and investors are looking to new avenues in which to advance the discovery of medicine tailored to fit the individual patient. On the renewed vitality of the stem cell are the hopes of millions of patients coping with diseases that may now become treatable. Dr. Ralph Garippa, Research Leader at Roche, Department of Discovery Technologies, will address the potential impact of cellular therapeutics on diagnostic medicine and personalized therapeutics within the pharmaceutical industry. He will address the impact these technologies may have both in the U.S. and abroad with respect to R&D and viable opportunities that may exist for life science companies and investors alike.
Innovative Deal Structures for Use in Challenging Times
As capital sources become more elusive, companies are increasingly exploring creative methods to structure transactions and it is more important than ever to find successful transaction structures that build value. This session will focus on unique financial structures that have been utilized to leverage industry and financing opportunities. This panel will review the following: Combined deferred mergers and product development licenses Debt transactions  Equity lines The use of business incubators Moderator: Richard A. Kaufman, Partner, Foley & Lardner Panelists: Mark Benedyk, Head of The Pfizer Incubator LLC Donna Tempel, Ph.D., President and CEO, Drais Pharmaceuticals Jack Lief, Co-Founder, Chairman, President & CEO, Arena Pharmaceuticals Michael White, Deal Team Leader, Silicon Valley Bank   SESSION MATERIALS Presentation
Navigating the Regulatory Pathway to Achieve Investment Success
In challenging times, biotech, medical device and venture capital firms need to ensure that every aspect of the development plan and regulatory submission is properly addressed when dealing with the FDA in order to avoid long delays and costly mistakes. However, keeping up with the changing regulatory environment can be both challenging, frustrating and time consuming. This session will focus on what companies and venture capitalists alike need to be cognizant of to achieve success in research and development as well as increasing the likelihood of expedited FDA clearance and approvals. Case studies will be provided to highlight both success and failure stories. The panel will also provide an update on the new administration's plans to reform the FDA approval process. This topic will cover: Impact of administration changes on the regulatory process Hot FDA issues FDA's new data initiatives Pitfalls to avoid with clinical trials and practical suggestions to ensure compliance Determining regulatory pathways towards product approval, particularly for combination products Prospecting opportunities to increase product lifecycles Panelists: David L. Rosen, Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP Michael A. Swit, Vice President, The Weinberg Group SESSION MATERIALS Presentation
Big Pharma Update: What Big Pharma is Looking for In Partnering Opportunities
Thus far, 2009 has marked unprecedented changes and challenges within the biotechnology industry. Big pharma has responded to these challenges through mega mergers, high-profile consolidations, and high-value licensing deals. Couple this with Congress' impending health care reform measures and pressure to lower drug prices along with changes at the FDA, it is no wonder big pharma is taking dramatic steps to protect and enhance their opportunities for long-term growth. Small to medium-sized life sciences companies have also been forced to make changes as they struggle to retain value, maximize market potential and reduce risks. In this session, panelists will explore: What investment and partnering opportunities are of top priority in the short term? Forward looking perspectives about investment and partnering priorities in the future Steps small and medium-sized life sciences companies should take to retain and enhance value Moderator Michael Gunning , Assurance Partner, Pricewaterhouse Coopers Panelists: Roy Cosan, Vice President, Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation Stephen B. Maebius, Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP Linda Pullan, Ph.D., Pullan Consulting James M. Schaeffer, Worldwide Licensing and External Research-West Coast, Merck & Company
Honing Your IP Portfolio in Difficult Economic Times
In today’s climate of uncertainty and constrained budgets, a life science company needs to make smart decisions regarding how and where to spend money in the short and long term to build value in its IP portfolio. Life sciences companies are forced to ask tough questions related to where patent filings are essential, weighing the issues of risk and protection, and if and when to embark on a licensing strategy. When weighing these tough issues it is important that IP counsel and management work together to build a strategy that meets the company’s current and long term needs. It is more important than ever to determine which portions of the existing IP portfolio provide effective protection to core products and/or services of the company and which portions of the IP portfolio are not mission critical. The ever-shrinking legal budget for IP portfolio strategy implementation also requires evaluation of the costs and potential benefits of legal opinions and litigation. In this session, we will discuss strategies, tips and best practices from both legal and practical business perspectives. Evaluating the IP portfolio - assessing the strengths and weaknesses Deciding to reduce or expand the existing IP portfolio Managing the expectations of management Prioritizing your IP protection from a business and IP perspective Legal Opinions: A necessity or not in today’s world Panelists: Douglas H. Carsten, Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP Steve Reiter, Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP David J. Weitz, Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Chief Intellectual Property Counsel, Takeda San Diego, Inc.