ACI: Life Sciences Collaborations Conference – Agenda Highlights Announced

Nov. 28, 2012 - PRLog -- The American Conference Institute, organizers of the 17th Advanced Forum on Life Sciences Collaborative Agreements and Acquisitions taking place February 27-28, 2013 at the Carlton Hotel in New York, today announced key highlights from this year’s program agenda.

Crafting Collaborative Agreements to Produce Maximum Benefit

A series of panel sessions on analyzing trends in deal-making, producing fruitful collaborations, developing effective alliance management techniques, and drafting critical termination provisions will collectively work to leave attendees with a full understanding of when, how and what parties should do to put together effective collaborative agreements. In addition, these sessions will feature expert input on how to govern well-managed alliances that minimize ambiguity and present all players with the opportunity to thrive.

Collaborating with Research Institutions

Licensing with universities is taking on increasing importance as pharma and biotech companies seek to expand opportunities for collaborative research. This year’s forum will demystify the unique contractual considerations that arise in such research agreements.  Expert practitioners speaking at the conference will include professionals from the Johns Hopkins University, the Penn State College of Medicine, and Sanofi Pasteur.

Avoiding Antitrust Concerns Associated with Collaborations and Alliances

In an exclusive session, Christine White, Staff Attorney for the Northeast Office of the Federal Trade Commission, and Joshua Soven, formerly a senior prosecutor for the Dept. of Justice’s antitrust division and now a partner at Gibson Dunn, L.L.P., will discuss trends in antitrust enforcement, establish what information is necessary to satisfy FTC filing requirements, conducting baseline risk assessments, and more.

M & A Considerations

In light of the recent renewed focus on acquisitions in the industry, it is important to be aware that a collaboration may turn into an acquisition, and also that a partner may ultimately be acquired by someone else.  The forum will focus on whether and how to introduce M &A into a collaboration discussion, and how different options and other contractual terms can hinder or facilitate a later acquisition.

ACI Division Manager Stephanie Butler remarked, “This program is the culmination of detailed discussion with senior individuals at top law firms, pharmaceutical and biotech companies who are skilled at negotiating successful alliances.  Speakers will be coming from 15 major companies and universities including: AstraZeneca, Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Pfizer, and Sanofi.”

Full information on the forum can be found at www.americanconference.com/collaborations

About American Conference Institute
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Staffed by industry specialists, lawyers and other professionals, American Conference Institute operates as a think tank, monitoring trends and developments in all major industry sectors, the law, and public policy, with a view to providing information on the leading edge.