BioPharm America™ Features Top Industry Decision-Makers in Life Science Partnering

CARLSBAD, Calif. and ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Navigating a shifting landscape of bio-pharma deal making will be the focus for discussions among licensing and business development executives from Bayer Schering, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Shire Pharmaceuticals at BioPharm America™ in Atlanta, September 9-10, 2008.

The backdrop for intensive partnering meetings during BioPharm America is a rich program of keynote speeches, panel discussions and workshops featuring decision makers from across the biotechnology value-chain.

The speaker line-up includes the following pharma executives:

• Dr. Nils Debus, Senior Director, Global Business Development and Licensing at Bayer Schering.
• Dr. Aya Jakobovits, Chief Scientific Officer, Agensys - Astellas Group
• Dr. Tomas Landh, Director, Strategy and Sourcing at Novo Nordisk.
• Dr. Manuel Litchman, Vice President & Head, Oncology Business Development and Licensing with Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.
• Gwen A. Melincoff, Senior Vice President, Business Development for Shire Pharmaceuticals
• Sun Park, Vice President, Corporate Development at Medlmmune
• Dr. Ellen Strahlman, Vice President, Licensing, Worldwide Business Development for Pfizer
• Dr. Rob Wills, Vice President, Alliance Management, Pharmaceuticals Group at Johnson & Johnson
• Dr. Steven Xanthoudakis, Director, Licensing and External Research with Merck Frosst Canada

Topics for workshop and panel sessions reflect diverse issues for partnering and financing in the life science industry today, providing an up-to-date industry perspective on licensing, mergers and acquisitions, and alliances.

Plenary topics include:

• How is the Evolving Bio-Pharma Drug Development Landscape Affecting Transactions?
• Recent Deal-making – What is Hot and What is Not?

Debate and discussion in panel sessions will take on provocative issues such as:

• How Mid-size Pharma Competes in an Environment Dominated by Big Pharma
• Biologics – The Solution to Big Pharma's Problems?
• Exploring the Link Between Portfolio Strategy and Business Development
• New Financing Trends in Drug Development; the Role of Big Pharma and Private Equity

Special workshops include:

• Translational Medicine – How do we Fund Novel, Breakthrough Research more Efficiently?
• ABCs of In-Licensing

EBD Group’s events are widely recognized as being the gold standard for highly productive bio-pharma partnering meetings. Like all EBD Group events, partnering at BioPharm America 2008 is powered by partneringONE™, the industry’s most advanced partnering system. partneringONE enables participants to efficiently mine a large pool of potential partners, and identify and pre-arrange private one-to-one meetings with dozens of company targets.

General registration for BioPharm America is now available at http://www.ebdgroup.com/bpa/registration.htm. Early-bird registration with a discount of USD 200 is available until June 30. For more information about this global partnering event for the bio-pharma industry, including accommodation and program updates, please go to the event homepage at www.biopharmamerica.com.

Advance media registration for BioPharm America is now available online. Registration is complimentary for credentialed members of the media. To register, please visit http://www.ebdgroup.com/bpa/press_reg.htm.

About BioPharm America

BioPharm America is where biotech industry partnerships get started. Meet face-to-face with biotech and pharma executives from around the world to identify and enter strategic relationships. BioPharm America is the only partnering event in North America based on the same winning formula as EBD Group’s acclaimed European events BIO-Europe and BIO-Europe Spring®. BioPharm America is simply an unmatched opportunity for companies across the biotech value-chain to meet and do business. For more information please visit www.biopharmamerica.com.

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 are run in collaboration with leading industry players and international trade associations. They 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®; BioPharm America™ (EBD’s new North American partnering event); and BioEquity Europe (co-organized with BioCentury Publications and BIO).

EBD’s novel, Web-based, partnering service partneringONE™ 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 please visit www.ebdgroup.com.