ChinaBio® Partnering Forum 2011 Announces Program Highlights

With three weeks to go registrations running ahead of last year's record attendance

EBD Group and ChinaBio^® LLC today unveiled the program for the ChinaBio^® Partnering Forum 2011, to be held in Beijing, China at the Shangri-La Hotel Beijing on May 11–12.

Attended by biotech and pharma leaders from around the world and China-based developers of novel technologies, the event is poised to be the most dynamic, productive partnering event held to date in China.

The event is on track to attract more than 650 delegates from 300 companies and over 20 countries.

This year’s program is designed to provide players in the life science industry with pragmatic advice on forming partnerships in China. The insights gained at the ChinaBio Partnering Forum program will help life science companies successfully navigate their passage to China. Featured panels include:

Partnering Landscape in China: Capturing Innovation

China is expected to have the largest number of patent filings of any country in the world in 2011, and patents for novel molecules are growing at an average rate of 45% per year. Partnering activity in China continues to increase as well, with the value of Chinese assets rising sharply with upfront payments now reaching USD 100 million and more. Greg B. Scott of ChinaBio^® LLC will lead a distinguished panel of senior pharma executives featuring Dr. Richard Connell, Pfizer; Dr. Berthold Hinzen, Bayer Schering Pharma; Dr. Greg Wiederrecht, Merck Research Laboratories; and Dr. Steve Q. Yang, AstraZeneca. They will recount their experiences in China, citing both successful and not so successful approaches of doing partnerships in the world's number two pharmaceutical market.

Accessing Innovation: How It's Done in China

2010 was the year pharma recognized the extent and value of early stage innovation in China. AstraZeneca, Merck, Novartis and others have developed significant collaborations with Chinese universities and institutes, and several co-development deals were signed with local biotechs with a deal value exceeding USD 60 million. John Oyler of BeiGene will lead panelists Dr. Li Wang, AstraZeneca AB; Dr. Eric Whitters, Novartis Diagnostics; Dr. Rui-Ping Xiao, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Peking University; and Dr. Tony Zhang of Eli Lilly in an examination of the questions concerning finding assets in China, and case studies of partnerships between pharma and China's leading universities and research institutes.

How To Build and Protect Your IP Portfolio in China

Attorneys in China, Esther H. Lim and Ningling Wang, both of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, will discuss how to maximize IP value and avoid pitfalls in building a patent portfolio for innovative pharma in China.

Paths To Acquire Innovative Technologies and Products from Western Institutions

To develop innovative life science products, there is an increasing need for Chinese pharmaceutical companies to acquire technologies in early stage development from the West. Attorneys Julian Thurston and Dr. Jie Zhou of Morrison & Foerster will analyze the latest deal structures, including assessing early stage products and managing a collaborative relationship post-signature.

Venture Capital and Private Equity Landscape in China

In 2010, the promise of venture capital becoming the engine for the commercialization of innovative life science technologies in China finally became a reality, establishing several new records in the process: the largest single investment (USD 120 million), the highest total investment (over USD 1 billion), and the highest average investment to date (USD 17 million). The public markets for Chinese biopharmaceutical companies also provided significant liquidity for investors, with 33 IPOs providing nearly USD 6 billion in proceeds and market caps reaching over USD 1 billion. John Carroll of FierceBiotech will head a panel of leading investors including Norman Chen, Fidelity Growth Partners Asia; James Huang, Vivo Ventures; Dr. Amit Kakar, Avenue Capital; and Dr. James Li, KPCB to discuss the future of life science investing in China.

Deconstructing the China Deal

China's life science industry continues to grow, and more significant deals between Western and Chinese companies are taking shape. In this session, seasoned dealmakers Ruediger Herrmann and Alicia Hong of WilmerHale will discuss important transactions of the last twelve months. They will be joined by Dr. David Chen, 3SBio, and Pu Wang, Xin Tech Bio Sciences, to take a behind-the-scenes look at the drivers, options and strategies it takes to form a successful partnership in R&D, manufacturing or commercialization in China.

Leveraging IP Assets Through M&A and Licensing

Business development and dealmaking depend on secure intellectual property assets for predictable technology flow, capital generation, and partnerships. IP policies in China create opportunities and risks to be realized and managed as this enormous and expanding marketplace matures. For Western companies this is still a major stepping-stone when considering partnerships with Chinese companies. In this session, moderator Alfred W. Zaher of Blank Rome will be joined by Dr. Tomas Landh, Novo Nordisk; Dr. Shawn Shiqing Li, Blank Rome; Martina Molsbergen, C14 Consulting Group; and Dr. Jianzhong (David) Shen, Eli Lilly in a discussion of IP concerns in China. They will give hands-on advice to Chinese companies on how to manage and secure IP rights to attract pharma, form strong partnerships, preserve value, and secure capital investment. They will also provide insights to existing and emerging IP issues for R&D, business development, capital investment, and government partnerships in China.

The Road to China: A Fireside Chat

Pharmaron has grown from a bootstrapped start-up in 2003 to become the number three CRO in China. With over 1,200 employees, the acquisition of Bridge Laboratories in Beijing, and a war chest including USD 40 million in venture capital from DCM, Legend and Avenue Capital, Pharmaron is now positioned to challenge the leading CROs in China. In this session Eric Pierce, Publisher of BioCentury, will interview Dr. Boliang Lou, CEO and founder of Pharmaron, and explore how he was able to sustain rapid growth in this dynamic and challenging market and what he plans for the future at Pharmaron.

Government Funding: What Is Available and How Western Companies Can Tap into It

There are now over 160 programs in China providing funding for new drug development, offering from USD 150,000 to USD 10 million and more for each project. Much of the funding comes from the provincial and municipal levels and has only been available to Chinese domestic companies and academic organizations. Now, with the twelfth five-year plan and the Mega New Drug Development Program, this is beginning to change. Ian Wisenberg of ChinaBio^® Capital Partners will be joined by Yuwen Liu of BioBay, Dr.Huijun Ring of iDNA, and,Dr. Dan Zhang of Fountain Medical Development to describe how they successfully secured funding, and what types of plans are available. They will also explain how Western companies can access these funding programs by establishing JVs with US-run China-based companies.

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 ™, the fastest growing partnering event in North America
• EuroMedtech ™, EBD Group’s 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, co-produced with ChinaBio® LLC
• Biotech Showcase ™, a unique forum in San Francisco for presenting to investors and business development executives, co-produced with Demy-Colton Life Science Advisors

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 .

About ChinaBio® LLC

Since its founding in January, 2007, ChinaBio® LLC has rapidly created a broad platform of capabilities connecting China life science with the world. ChinaBio has helped global life science companies identify over 400 licensing and acquisition opportunities in China and China companies raise nearly $400 million.

• Conferences: ChinaBio organizes the premier life science investment and partnering conferences in China, having attracted over 4,000 attendees.
• Consulting: ChinaBio works with global life science companies and China entrepreneurs to define and execute a successful global strategy.
• Capital: ChinaBio Capital Partners helps companies secure partnerships and acquisitions and access private and government funding in China.
• Publishing: ChinaBio® Today is the most widely read online and email newsletter on China’s life science industry, with over 18,000 readers.

More information is available at www.ChinaBioLLC.com .

Contact:

EBD Group
Constantine Theodoropulos, + 1 617-816-4637
ctheodoropulos@ebdgroup.com