WASHINGTON--()--The BIO Asia International Conference will feature industry leaders discussing the future of the Asian biotechnology industry and new deal models between Western and Asian companies. BIO Asia is the longest running biotechnology partnering conference in Asia. The conference, produced by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), will be held January 31 – February 1, 2012 in Osaka, Japan for the first time.
“BIO Asia provides a unique forum for leaders of Western and Japanese biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to engage in high level discussions about several new deal models, as well as exchange their vision of how innovation will evolve in Asia. This conference will explore what the future holds for investors and executives alike," said Alan Eisenberg, Executive Vice President, Emerging Companies and Business Development.
The biotechnology market in Japan was estimated at 1.76 trillion yen (approximately 22.6 billion U.S. dollars) in 2005, second only to that of the United States. The market has grown considerably since then and could represent a significant opportunity for Western companies looking to do business in Asia.
Based on this growth and a potentially promising outlook, BIO Asia’s Opening Plenary session will feature an in-depth look at the Takeda/Nycomed deal, which was the largest cross-border transaction by a Japanese company in 2011.
Cross-Border M&A – Takeda/Nycomed
Nominated to be the IN VIVO Blog’s M&A Deal of the Year for 2011, Takeda’s $13.7B acquisition of Nycomed is the largest cross-border transaction by a Japanese company and provided Takeda with greater infrastructure in Europe, an immediate entry into emerging markets, and an immediate increase in cash flow. The deal provided a hefty return to Nycomed investors, and even yielded a coveted “Private Equity Deal of the Year” award at the European M&A awards for primary investor Nordic Capital. This deal both expands Takeda’s global footprint and reinforces Japan’s global leadership in the biopharma industry. Senior executives crucial to the execution of this stellar deal will conduct a deep-dive on the deal terms and integration process.
Moderator:
- David Low, Managing Director, Life Sciences Group, Lazard
Panelists:
- Ken Araki, Vice President, Head of Global Corporate Development and Japan BD Group Global Business Development, Takeda Pharmaceuticals International
- Gunnar Gårdemyr, VP, Head of Global Licensing Business Development Operations, Takeda Pharmaceuticals International
Other sessions include:
The Next Frontier—Asia in 5-10 Years
Asia has long been thought of as the next frontier for the biotech industry with large pharma and investors staking their claim over the last decade in Japan and more recently, in China. Korean biotech is rapidly becoming a real player as well, so what can we expect to see from this growing market in the next 5-10 years? Will the landscape evolve similar to that of Europe and the US, with biotech epicenters, such as Boston and San Francisco? When will home-grown novel products reach market and which parts of Asia will they come from? Will sufficient capital markets exist to grow and sustain life sciences companies? Pharma executives, investors and other industry leaders will convene to discuss how the biotech landscape will evolve in Asia in the next 5-10 years.
Moderator:
- David Flores, Co-Founder, President & CEO, BioCentury Publications, Inc.
Panelists:
- Paul B. Bolno, MD, MBA , Vice President, Worldwide Business Development, Head of Asia, GlaxoSmithKline PLC
- Paul Hudson, President, AstraZeneca KK
- Kewen Jin, Managing Director, Nimbus Innoworks
- Joong Myung Cho, PhD, President & CEO, CrystalGenomics, Inc
The New World of Pharma Collaborations
This panel will illustrate a set of new types of collaborations that bring together funding and know-how to address pharma’s needs in the world of patent expirations, lower R&D productivity, and other pipeline challenges. This unique panel will feature three parties and three separate deals that have been completed among them. Two of these deals are very recent, and BIO Asia will be the first public platform in which this new development model and two of these deals will be discussed. More details will be announced in coming weeks prior to BIO Asia.
Moderator:
- Alan Eisenberg, Executive Vice President, Emerging Companies and Business Development, Biotechnology Industry Organization
Panelists:
- Robert DeBenedetto, CPA, President & CEO, SFJ Pharmaceuticals
- Rami Suzuki Ph.D., Senior Director of Business Development Department, Eisai Co, Ltd.
- Johan Westblad, M.Sc., MBA, Associate Director, Business Development at Quintiles Japan
The BIO Asia International Conference is an exclusive, customized partnering forum that brings together U.S. and European drug development companies with Asian biotech and pharmaceutical companies interested in research collaborations and licensing agreements.
To learn more about the BIO Asia International Conference, registration and up-to-date program information, please visit the web site here. Advance media registration is available here. Registration is complimentary for credentialed members of the media.
About BIO
BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world. BIO produces BIOtechNOW, a multiblog platform and monthly newsletter that aims to create an online biotech community where the the industry can connect to discuss the latest news. Subscribe to BIOtechNOW.
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Upcoming BIO Events
BIO Asia International Partnering Conference
January 31 – February 1, 2012
Osaka, Japan
BIO CEO & Investor Conference
February 13-14, 2012
New York, NY
World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioprocessing
April 29-May 2, 2012
Orlando, FL
2012 BIO International Convention
June 18-21, 2012
Boston, MA