Business Development in an Era of Transformative Therapies

July 25, 2019 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM

MassBio, 300 Technology Square 8th Fl, Cambridge, MA 02139

Add to Calendar 7/25/2019 8:00:00 AM 7/25/2019 10:00:00 AM Business Development in an Era of Transformative Therapies

The future of therapeutics capable of treating, curing, and even entirely preventing many previously life-threatening illnesses has arrived! Whether it is developing drugs for molecular targets rather than specific diseases, replacing/correcting specific genes, or introducing cells engineered with bespoke features or payloads, a new dawn is upon us. For business development leaders this presents unusual and unprecedented challenges. How do unproven development pathways, uncertain and fluctuating markets sizes, and the potential for value-based pricing and payments affect how deals are negotiated and structured? Join us for a discussion among biopharma business development and finance leaders in this emerging space as they share their thoughts on creating value through business and corporate development activities in the context of the radical new technologies that are changing the practice of medicine.

MassBio, 300 Technology Square 8th Fl, Cambridge, MA 02139
Chief Business Officer and Oncology Franchise Leader
Joanne Smith-Farrell, Ph.D., joined bluebird bio in April 2017 as senior vice president, corporate development and strategy and was promoted to chief business officer and oncology franchise leader in May 2019. Prior to joining bluebird, Joanne was vice president, business development transactions at Merck, Inc. At Merck, Joanne led the team that structured, negotiated, and executed business development transactions supporting Merck Research Labs. Prior to Merck, she was vice president of strategic transactions at Pfizer, Inc. Joanne holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the Catholic University of America, and a B.S. in Physics and Mathematics from Vanderbilt University. She was also a Fellow in Biomedical & Chemical Engineering at The Harvard-MIT Division for Health Science & Technology (Dr. Robert Langer’s Lab) where she received the NIH National Service Award in Research.