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The 6th Annual HBC Symposium
B08, Sage Hall - Cornell University

Keynote Speakers

The Panels

Strategy and Commercialization Panel: Rising Cost of Healthcare: Changes in Commercialization Models

As pharmaceutical companies strive to replenish pipelines with new blockbuster drugs, they face the challenge of securing adequate payer coverage. This panel examined healthcare models from the perspectives of large pharmaceutical companies and managed care organizations. With the aim of maximizing the commercial value of potential new blockbusters, pharmaceutical companies are turning to new approaches like broad-labeling and head-to-head trials. These novel approaches to commercialization have become increasingly important with the increasing numbers of players in lucrative but crowded markets like oncology, inflammation and dyslipidemia. Questions raised regarding the value of newer drug classes in disease areas where older versions already exist make this issue even more pressing. Meanwhile, payer organizations are looking to cut costs while seeking to deliver quality healthcare to patients. This panel addressed the emerging dynamics from the eyes of two central players in the industry.

M&A, Alliances, VC, Startup Panel: Pharma Deal-Making

The need for sustaining growth drives large pharmaceutical companies to enter into licensing and acquisition deals with innovative, small biopharmaceutical companies. Small firms often look to large companies to partner new products in order to gain cash, development expertise, international reach, or broad "validation" of the quality of their technologies. Both public and private investors broker this "dance" by evaluating and advising both sides on the timing and key deal terms of their transactions. This panel discussed the current dynamics of deals between small and large biopharmaceutical companies from four perspectives: private venture capital, public market investors, small biopharmaceuticals, and deal-seeking large pharmaceuticals. The panel addressed the following questions: What are the criteria applied by large pharmaceutical companies looking for deals? How are these criteria different from the perspective of small biopharmaceutical companies? From a small biopharmaceutical perspective, does it make more sense to 'go-it-alone' towards commercialization, or is a sale or alliance more productive? What kinds of alliances are being crafted today and what types can the industry expect to predominate in the future? Does the increased level of deal-making signal a more profound paradigm shift in the pharmaceutical industry, and what are the broader long-term ramifications?

Corporate Sponsorship