Top Bioscience Industry Leaders H. Tom Watkins and Tony Zook to Address Mid-Atlantic Bio Conference
WASHINGTON-(Business Wire)-September 28, 2009 - H. Tom Watkins, president, CEO and director of Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (HGS) and Chair of The Maryland Life Sciences Advisory Board, and Tony Zook, AstraZeneca’s North America CEO and MedImmune’s President, will address the 2009 Mid-Atlantic Bio Conference, November 4-6, at the Washington, D.C. Convention Center. Watkins and Zook will join noted bioscience investor and CEO Randal J. Kirk as featured plenary speakers at the conference which draws more than 800 top bioscience leaders and investors, including more than 250 companies and 80 corporate and private investors, representing 30 states and 10 foreign countries.
During his plenary keynote address, Watkins will share real-world and real-time experiences of taking a biotech company from the stage of discovery to that of sustainable growth. As a prominent leader in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical fields, Watkins and his team at HGS, recently garnered global headlines announcing positive results from a Phase 3 trial of the new lupus drug, Benlysta. This milestone represents the first potential breakthrough in lupus treatment in the last 50 years.
Tony Zook will join the plenary “Healthcare Policy Panel” to share his views on how bioscience companies and the federal government can effectively partner to improve the quality of healthcare. In response to the pandemic swine flu outbreak, AstraZeneca’s North America CEO and MedImmune’s President Zook is a key industry participant in a collaboration with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and public health authorities to provide 42 million flu vaccine doses in the U.S., according to several news reports.
The 2009 Mid-Atlantic Bio Conference’s “Healthcare Policy Panel” will bring together health policy leaders from the federal government, who will share the latest policy and regulatory changes, and industry leaders, who will then discuss the potential impact of these steps. In addition to CEO Tony Zook, participants currently confirmed include Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Representative Anna Eshoo, (D-Calif.).
Highlighted at the invitation only CEO & Investor Dinner, Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) will speak at the event held on Capitol Hill on Thursday, November 5, 2009. Additional prominent scientific, government, and business leaders are expected to address the conference.
This year’s conference will also feature a thought-provoking plenary session of particular relevance to today’s life science industry: “Innovative Life Science Business Strategies in an Uncertain Environment.” Panelist are all life science leaders from the pharmaceutical, investment banking and partnering areas, including Michael Steiner, Ph.D., Partner of JSB-Partners; Jessica Chutter, Managing Director of Morgan Stanley.; and, BJ Bormann, Senior Vice President of Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals. Barbara Kosacz, Partner of Cooley Godward Kronish LLP, will moderate the session.
Included in the new programming line-up at this year’s conference are panel sessions that will tackle two of today’s most prevalent issues, H1N1 and biofuels: “Vaccines: Biotech’s Next ‘Big Thing’” will reveal innovations occurring in vaccine development technology, and “Biofuels—Innovative Biotechnology Meets Commercial Needs” will focus on the latest advancements and emerging technologies arising from the current biofuel boom.
Now in its fifth year, Mid-Atlantic Bio is one of the country’s premier bioscience and investor conferences. Held in the nation’s Capital – the epicenter of bioscience innovation and regulatory reform efforts – this year’s event promises to deliver world-class speakers and vital networking opportunities. The conference enables attendees to share best practices, develop business partnerships, connect with a broad spectrum of capital sources, and exchange ideas.
“Unprecedented opportunities, challenges and change face scientific innovation, business creation and growth, and the future of our nation’s health care system,” said Host committee Member Julia Spicer, executive director, Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA). “And, this year’s conference will address some of those issues with a tradition of bringing all under one roof some of the world’s most provocative and thoughtful speakers.”
ABOUT MID-ATLANTIC BIO
Mid-Atlantic Bio is co-hosted by the MdBio Division of the Tech Council of Maryland (TCM/MdBio), the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA), and the Virginia Biotechnology Association (VaBIO). Mid-Atlantic Bio benefits from broad regional support from the investor and greater business communities, academic institutions, government agencies, and partnering regional associations. For more information, or to register or sponsor, please visit www.midatlanticbio.org.
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