February 2012 • Contents

MORE People are Talking MORE Often on MORE Diverse and Intriguing Topics.

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March

Special Issue: From Molecule to Market — Dozens of industry experts will discuss the various factors that impact a product from conception to commercialization. Key intersecting points along the continuum will be explored and best practices for successfully navigating this complex, cost-intensive, and phase-sensitive timeline.

Showcase Feature: Market Research — Data from a wide of variety of sources — traditional and new media — are prompting market researchers to adapt to changing times. In order to understand and communicate data from the Web, social media, as well as from primary and secondary sources, market researcher will need to not only understand the technology but add new research methodologies and ways to evaluate metrics to their tool kits. Areas of discussion:

• The impact of technology on the discipline of market research
• Best practices for harnessing and analyzing data coming from social media outlets
• Ways that market research can increase its value to the organization

April

Cover Story Forum: Competitive Intelligence — Competitive intelligence according to industry analysts is one of the challenges that keeps CEOs up at night. With all the changes that are redefining the industry, the practice of competitive intelligence is also being redefined and experiencing dramatic changes. The newer trend emerging is said to be competitive strategy — a longer-term look at where the company wants to be and how it can get there. Areas of discussion will include:

• The current and future state of competitive intelligence
• Exploring the difference between competitive intelligence and competitive strategy
• Best practices companies need to employ in changing times to achieve their strategic business goals

Marketing Topic: Patient Communities — The growth and popularity of patient communities are creating opportunities for the industry to conduct market research and clinical research directly from the patient experience. This presents an incredible opportunity for marketers to get to know their customer, but how many are taking advantage of it? Areas of discussion will include:

• The trajectory of this growing trend
• The risks and challenges of being transparent on both sides of the equation — the communities and the pharma companies
• The tools and techniques of capturing patient data

R&D Topic: Clinical Trial Technologies — One of the key ongoing trends within development is the move toward an integrated e-clinical approach in which data from multiple sources are assimilated in a hub arrangement. The EDC market alone is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 13%, reaching $1.2 billion in 2016. Areas of discussion will include:

• The viability of a standard format for data collection
• Best practices for integrating data, enabling communications, and optimizing clinical trial operations methodology
• The advantages to building data warehouses to integrate clinical operations and clinical data across studies

Industry Topic: Reimbursement Issues — Pharma companies are experiencing greater scrutiny from government, private payers, and consumers. Creating a comprehensive reimbursement plan that begins at early phases of product development is essential in successfully obtaining coverage. Areas of discussion will include:

• Conducting a formal assessment of government affairs
• Creating a comprehensive reimbursement strategy
• Best practices for incorporating health economics data as private payers examine more outcomes data and HTAs

• How to reach appropriate patient populations
• Innovations in technology
• Social media’s impact on global patient recruitment

The C-Suite: Interactive/Digital Agencies and New Media Providers The medical affairs function at pharmaceutical, biotech, and device companies is moving beyond its traditional support role into a compilation of additional critical roles and responsibilities that include publication planning, research, clinical development, health outcomes, biostatistics, medical education, and other medical services. According to Best Practices LLC, the medical affairs enhances a company’s scientific reputation and complements the work of research and development to communicate the value and proper use of a company’s products, therapies, devices, technologies, and diagnostics. Areas of discussion will include:

• The role medical affairs and the various functions, such a publication planning, plays in the success of pharmaceutical strategic and operational commercial objectives
• Leveraging the Web to effectively build and maintain a knowledge management process to provide value for all medical affairs constituents
• The role medical affairs plays in generating quality clinical and real-world data that payers and prescribers need to improve decision making

Showcase Feature: IRBs — IRBs and research compliance offices continue to be at the forefront of providing responsible protection of human subjects within the research environment, but how each entity interprets and implements these responsibilities can be different, and can directly affect the function of both entities. This challenge is being complicated by evolving research involving biological targets, diagnostics, and combination products. Remaining in compliance with regulations while obtaining the appropriate data and using specimens for these research studies can present challenges for researchers and IRBs. Areas of discussion will include:

• The different regulations governing research in the areas of: biological specimens and data collected for research purposes; previously collected biological specimens and data used for secondary research; and biological specimens and data collected, stored, and distributed for future research
• Identifying and overcoming the risks and benefits of information sharing between research compliance offices and IRBs
• Best practices to promote clear lines of communications between different institutions

May

Cover Story Forum: Regional Marketing — In the ever-expanding global market and the move toward specialized markets, brands must optimize spending to achieve a good ROI and one way is to regionalize marketing efforts. Some brands perform better in some geographic areas as a result from targeted marketing efforts that take into account such factors as demographics and physician access. Areas of discussion will include:

• Identifying the drivers — forumulary, prescribing habits, field force, etc. — that affect the impact regional marketing
• Understanding the challenges of coordinating regional marketing efforts
• Incorporating regional marketing effort into the overall marketing mix

Marketing Topic: Mature Market Units — As products mature and go off patent, traditionally pharmaceutical companies suspend all marketing activities, however, new technologies and data mining techniques now allow these brands to enjoy life post patent expiration. Areas of discussion will include:

• The most effective ways to market mature products
• Best practices for using nontraditional channels
• Strategies and challenges for dealing with mature markets in today’s environment

Clinical Topic: Biotherapeutics — The global market value of biologics was $149 billion in 2010 and is projected to be $239 billion in 2015. Market growth has been spurred recently by the need for a more extensive pipeline by drug companies, attractive targets against challenging diseases, a push by companies to pursue biosimilars, and enabling manufacturing technologies that reduce the cost to produce profitable products.
At the same time, funding for research and development has grown increasingly scarce for the vast majority of firms in the sector, which tend to be pre-commercial stage companies that depend on years of funding to support drug development. This has placed new pressure on the traditional biotech business model, and may reshape how companies pursue R&D in the future. Areas for discussion:

• Understanding and finding solutions to funding issues
• Capitalizing on the intellectual capital of biotech clusters
• Determining best practices for manufacturing

Industry Topic: The Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association’s Rising Stars: Class of 2012 — More than 130 of the healthcare industry’s standout women executives, as designated by thir companies, representing pharmaceutical, biotechnology, advertising, public relations, medical education and market research, among other fields, will be featured in this special annual report. Areas for discussion:

• The importance of the HBA Rising Star
• Leadership best practices
• Developing mentoring relationships

The C-Suite: Biotech — Selected CEOs from a variety of biotechnology companies will discuss the business challenges and opportunities impacting the industry.

Global: Supply Chain Management Launching a Global Brand — The pharmaceutical supply chain is facing more challenges — inventory reduction, transition in product portfolio, and pressures to be more green. The addition of outsourcing and globalization to the mix, as well virtual partners and meeting regulatory standards in multiple countries, complicate supply chain management even further. Industry experts discuss strategies that help weed through the logistics and get products through the global supply chain efficiently and effectively. Areas for discussion:

• Managing complex supply chain logistics in global trials
• Mitigating risk
• Developing a site supply strategy using forecasting techniques

Market Sector: Japan — A review of the Japanese life-sciences market from the clinic to commercialization.

Showcase Feature: Training — The future of pharmaceutical and biotechnology sales forces has been hotly debated for some time now. Some experts expect further reductions in field forces, while others anticipate a leveling off; and, depending on the category, a slight increase in the number of sales reps. Amid resource realignment, a myriad of technology enhancements and tools are coming to the forefront. The bottom line is that the most impactful interaction remains the face-to-face engagement between a pharmaceutical sales representative and a prescribing physician. There are several ways to optimize sales force effectiveness, such as enhancing training and sales call quality and improving targeting and developing. Areas of discussion:

• Adding value to the rep/physician relationship to become a true partner in care
• Using outcomes research to enhance the discussion around patient care
• Using technology to the fullest to: understand territory metrics; deploy targeted communications; and provide consultative education

June

Cover Story Forum:Phase IV and Observational Studies — The growing need for evidence-based data for regulatory as well as payer mandates is increasing the importance of phase IV clinical trials and observational studies. The commercial nature of these later stage studies creates major challenges, such as recruiting and retaining patients and maintaining the commitment of both patients and investigators throughout the study. Areas of discussion will include:

• Identifying and meeting the challenges of patient recruitment
• Addressing regulatory requirements
• Balancing the needs of key stakeholders, such as marketing, clinical, regulatory, safety, KOLs, and investigators

Marketing Topic: Mobile Marketing — Mobile marketing is the future, according to some thought leaders. Experts will discuss the latest technologies being adopted with mobile integration and how to effectively use this technology to engage all stakeholders. Areas of discussion will include:

• The most effective ways to use mobile marketing
• Best practices for engaging different stakeholders
• Mobile message integration a part of the overall marketing mix

Clinical Topic: Drug Delivery — With formulation playing such a key role in the makings of a successful product, the right delivery platform, partnership sourcing, and management of collaborations is crucial to success. The increasing demand for effective delivery of novel biopharmaceuticals is driving the growth of the drug delivery market. Areas for discussion:

• Business development and partnering management strategies
• Formulation innovation and technologies
• Drug repositioning strategies

Industry Topic: The Political Landscape of Healthcare — Healthcare reform remains front and center within the political arena. This article will track the candidates’s positions on the various healthcare issues that will no doubt frame the upcoming presidential election. Various experts will weigh in on what a Republican or Democratic win will mean to the industry. Areas for discussion:

• Healthcare reform
• The long-term effects of politics on healthcare innovation
• The pros and cons of a Democratic or Republican win

The C-Suite: Healthcare Advertising Agencies — Selected CEOs from a variety of biotechnology companies will discuss the business challenges and opportunities impacting the industry.

Global: Marketing Campaigns — Consistency in brand message is more critical than ever in the global environment. With many brands also having a local and regional reach, brand teams must ensure that those messages don’t waver from the global brand, and when designing the global campaign message, marketers need to take into account the voices of their local teams. Areas for discussion:

• Managing campaigns across countries and cultures
• Managing local and global brand teams
• Understanding the complexities and uncovering the solutions of the greatest challenges of global campaigns

Market Sector: Australia — A review of the Australian life-sciences market from the clinic to commercialization.

Showcase Feature: Clinical Trial Solutions — The revenue for worldwide pharmaceutical clinical trial services totaled $21.69 billion in 2010 and is expected to reach $32.73 billion in 2015, according to a recent Visiongain report.
As clinical studies continue to become increasingly complex and global, sponsors are looking for improved efficiencies across the board; increased access to patients and investigators; and integrated R&D competencies and solutions. Areas of discussion:

• As technology continues to improve R&D, experts discuss the best drivers of innovation in the near future
• Experts look at the biggest barriers to innovation and moving pipeline development forward
• Best practices for clinical trial service providers to partner with sponsors

Editorial content is subject to change without notice.