BioBusiness Asia, the event that global investors and biotech companies look forward to each year, take place July 17 and July 18. The theme for BioBusiness Asia 2013 is "Connect to the Global Value Chain," and invited to this year's event are authoritative figures in the industry including Andy Liu, President of Asia Pacific and China of IMS Health, the world's leading provider of biopharmaceuticals information, Ken J. Lee, Quintiles East Asia's Head of Site Services Asia, and many other global biotech experts.
These individuals will shed light on how Taiwan can best connect to the global biotech value chain, as well as future development opportunities and challenges, thereby helping the industry to look for investment opportunities not only in the Asia-Pacific region, but also throughout the world. In addition, a large increase will be seen in the number of participants in this year's partnering meetings, including individuals from the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and mainland China. It is hoped that the event will provide an opportunity for companies and investors to pair up, thus further underpinning investment and growth in the sector.
Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) Chairman Ching-Yen Tsay stated that BioBusiness Asia has already become an important date on the annual calendar for members of the biotech industry and the venture capital community. Each year, biotech experts from the world assemble in Taiwan to share their observations on the latest trends and successes in the industry, enabling industry representatives and venture capitalists attending this interactive platform to act on opportunities. In the spirit of this year's theme "Connect to the Global Value Chain," experts from a variety of fields have been invited to attend, including the influential venture capital firm Burrill & Co. and US biotech marketing and distribution network regulatory expert - landsglobal, LLC. Also, a representative from IMS Health will analyze the world's biotech manufacturing environment. Participants will come away with a comprehensive understanding of the latest happenings in the biotech venture capital industry, the climate for the industry to thrive, and the regulatory environment. This will help Taiwan's biotech industry to connect to the global biotech industry in the shortest time possible.
ITRI Biomedical Technology and Device Research Laboratories General Director Richard Shau, who is the moderator of this year's event, stated that Taiwan's biotech industry over the past several years has mainly been involved in preliminary R&D. Now, however, products being developed by a number of local biotech manufacturers have moved from the developmental phase into Phase II or even Phase III clinical trials. This makes the industry here much more attractive to international venture capitalists, he added. BioBusiness Asia, according to Dr. Shau, has become an important platform for interaction between venture capital funds and Taiwan's biotech industry. In a bid to get a head start in entering the mainland Chinese market, Quintiles, the world's largest clinical trial services firm, is participating in the event for the first time. It desires to embark on cooperation with Taiwan's biotech and drug manufacturers via the BioBusiness Asia platform, while the local industry is hoping that Quintiles can help it enter the market for new drugs in Europe and North America, he said.
Dr. Shau furthermore stated that the global biotech industry is quickly moving from strategic alliances to fast acquisitions. Amid the increasingly heated competition within the local and foreign biotech industries, companies are pursuing solutions to ensure their sustainability and survival, he said. IMS Health's Andy Liu, Dr. Shau said, will analyze the state of the global biotech industry and impart knowledge with respect to forging strategic cooperation and strategic alliances. In addition, major international drug makers in recent years have become increasingly interested in Chinese herbal medicines. Consequently, arrangements have been made for Dr. Fang-Rong Chang, a world-renowned expert in new Chinese herbal medicines, to discuss the strategies and methods adopted by international drug manufacturers in developing new drugs using Chinese herbal medicines, Dr. Shau said.
Meanwhile, Alice M. Chiang, the CEO of Teratech Corp., will share her experiences and explain developmental trends in and challenges facing the world's ultrasound industry. She will also examine how Taiwan should best utilize its electronics industry, and specifically its key competitive strengths in flat panels, components, and semiconductors, to delve into and secure a piece of the medical imaging pie. Also, Yuan-Hua Ding of Pfizer will, from the R&D standpoint of a leading pharmaceutical manufacturer, discuss the direction of R&D among multinational drug companies, and the strategies and concepts they are promoting. He will also provide suggestions on how Taiwan's biotech firms, despite their limited R&D resources, can engage in cooperation with major international drug makers and together develop blue ocean opportunities.
On the July 18th, Arrangements have made for PhytoHealth Corp., which specializes in botanical new drugs, Amcad, a developer of innovative non-invasive detection devices, and Aurora Image Technology, the world's fourth largest maker of medical imagery equipment, to attend the partnering meetings and explain their latest products and technologies. What's more, Japan's six major drug companies are sending delegations to this year's event, which not only highlights the increasingly close interaction between Taiwan and Japan, but also exhibits their desire to use the Bio Business Asia platform to enhance their interaction with their Taiwan counterparts and move into the global biotech market.
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