Health Advances

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Events

Upcoming Events

9.2.2010: MassBio’s Personalized Medicine Summit
AstraZeneca, Waltham, MA
September 2nd 7:30 am - 3:15 pm
For the last decade, the promise of personalized medicine seemed just over the horizon. Biotechnology companies were pursuing the strategy of therapeutics tailored to specific patients having specific disease subtypes. All of this was predicated on diagnostics that enabled selection of the right patients for clinical trial, selecting the right patients for therapy, and monitoring patients once on therapy. The ultimate goal was to eliminate trial and error medicine and the health and economic consequences.

Personalized medicine today has made incredible strides towards realizing how a test coupled to a therapy can work, clinically. This summit will focus on the implementation of personalized medicine from multiple dimensions.

Going forward, drug discovery, development, commercialization, clinical research, regulatory pathways, health informatics, and reimbursement will evolve, in part, based on personalized medicine breakthroughs, but there is little clarity around how personalized medicine will be implemented throughout the healthcare ecosystem.

Although much of the attention around personalized medicine has been devoted to oncology, this summit will generate discussion to infer how lessons learned in oncology can be applied to other chronic illnesses.

At this inaugural event, industry leaders will join together to discuss the various scientific, clinical, regulatory/reimbursement and commercialization challenges to personalized medicine today. Health Advances’ Vice President Kristin Pothier will moderate the panel “Overall Healthcare Challenges – Regulatory Approval, Reimbursement, and Healthcare Costs” as well as participate in a second panel, “Business and Market Challenges.”

learn more about our expertise in personalized medicine.

9.22.2010: Health Advances Presents Putting Your Best Foot Forward for Launch
Waltham, MA
Vice President Susan Posner will lead a session on preparing a medical device product for launch.

Effectively positioning your product with the right decision makers in the optimal market segments can catalyze adoption and set the foundation for broader use. Who are all the potential decision-makers and influencers? Is convenience a greater value driver than clinical effectiveness? How important is the safety aspect? How does the hierarchy of attributes vary by decision-maker? When will comparative effectiveness data impact adoption?

This session will share examples of how successful products have developed new markets by engaging new decision makers and highlighting less obvious value propositions. Susan will describe the mapping of value propositions to decision makers and developing a road map for targeting sequential decision makers and market segments over time. The session will also discuss when comparative effectiveness data will be most valuable in the future.

Positioning for success: Understanding a product's value proposition and how it may differ depending on the decision-maker and market segment
Comparative effectiveness and systems economic data: What is it and do we need it?
Product launch lessons learned: A survey of the industry

learn more about our expertise in medical devices.

Recent Events

07.25.10: Health Advances at 2010 AACC Annual Meeting
Anaheim, CA
Kristin Pothier, Donna Hochberg, Kimberly Howland, Mark Speers, Gary Gustavsen, and Marcus Moreno represented Health Advances at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Clinical Chemistry Conference (AACC) July 25-29, 2010. The AACC Annual Meeting is an excellent opportunity to participate in a variety of discussions and activities surrounding the clinical in vitro diagnostics industry including exploring novel biomarker development and innovative diagnostic technologies, networking with business executives, clinicians, laboratorians, and scientists, and attending the largest clinical expo in the world.

learn more about our expertise in diagnostics and discovery tools and read our latest publications.

06.21.10: Health Advances Leads Personalized Medicine Workshop
Boston
Kristin Pothier, Vice President, and Gary Gustavsen, Associate, led a dynamic workshop entitled “Commercializing Companion Diagnostics: From Concept to Reality.” Clinical laboratory tests account for less than 2% of Medicare spending, but influence 70% of healthcare decisions. This statistic becomes even stronger with emerging companion diagnostics. However, most diagnostic test reimbursement today does not reflect the value of these technologies or the evolution of healthcare towards a more personalized system.

These and other issues are magnified for companion diagnostics, where questions on overall commercialization strategy and the ultimate ROI for companion diagnostic developers are paramount and differ depending on the developer’s point-of-view.

This interactive workshop allowed participants to understand the pain points of the current system from both a diagnostics development and a therapeutics development perspective. Participants received a detailed view of the state of companion diagnostic development today, saw tangible examples of recent successes and failures, and discussed the most common pain points from several perspectives. Participants were then led through the essential questions and resulting analyses that must be developed within all personalized medicine programs for therapeutics and diagnostics companies. Finally, Health Advances shared its insights for capturing the true value of companion diagnostics for all stakeholders in the future.

learn more about our expertise in personalized medicine.

05.03.10 and 05.04.10: Health Advances Sponsors Partnering for Global Health Forum, Releases New Report
Chicago
Health Advances was pleased to be a Gold Sponsor of the Partnering for Global Health Forum, an important event hosted by BIO Ventures for Global Health (BVGH) focused on market-based solutions serving the health needs of the world’s poorest. The Forum was held on May 3, 2010 at the McCormick Place Lakeside Center in Chicago, immediately preceding the BIO International Convention.

On Tuesday, May 4, 2010, Health Advances, in conjunction with BVGH, unveiled a new report, “Diagnostics Innovation Map: Medical Diagnostics for the Unmet Needs of the Developing World.” Paula Ness Speers, Managing Director and leader of Health Advances’ Global Health Practice and Kristin Pothier, Vice President and leader of the Diagnostics and Discovery Tools Practice, participated in the presentation of summary findings.

The Diagnostics Innovation Map explores some of the most innovative current and emerging diagnostic technologies and provides insight into how these technologies might be applied to developing world settings. The report clarifies the diagnostic requirements for resource-poor settings and explores how recent and emerging technological advancements in the developed world might be used to improve patient care and save lives in the developing world. The report provides:

An understanding of unmet diagnostic needs for neglected diseases and the performance requirements for diagnostics used in resource-poor settings
An overview of the value that novel diagnostics can bring to health care in resource-poor settings
Examples of innovative lab-based and point-of-care (POC) technologies and analysis of how these recent advances could address unmet diagnostic needs in the developing world
Resources to aid in forging new partnerships to accelerate the development of diagnostics for neglected diseases.

In addition to their presentation of the Diagnostics Innovation Map, Paula Ness Speers and Kristin Pothier participated in BIO’s One-on-One Partnering meetings, part of the Business Forum at the 2010 BIO International Convention. One-on-One Partnering is the world’s largest biotech partnering event, allowing companies to connect with investors, senior scientific and business management professionals and create opportunities for collaboration and innovation.

learn more about Health Advances’ expertise in the area of global health.

05.04.10: Biotechnology Industry Organization — Think and Drink Event
Chicago
Health Advances hosted its highly popular “Think & Drink” event at the BIO International Convention. This year’s event, a dynamic, interactive forum guided by industry leaders, was entitled “Follow-on Biologics – Strategy Ends that Justify the Means.”

Skip Irving, Partner at Health Advances moderated the discussion. Federico Pollano, CEO of Richter-Helm BioTec, Dr. Mark McCamish, Head Global Biopharmaceutical Development of Sandoz International, and Dr. Shyam Bishen, VP, Corporate Development at Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals joined Kimberly Howland, PhD, Vice President at Health Advances to offer their take on opportunities in the market and which companies have the best chance of success in this complex and expensive arena. During this highly interactive event, the audience had the opportunity to weigh in on whether biologics can generate a positive return, what the model for success looks like, which products offer the greatest potential for follow-on biologic penetration, where and how branded biologic companies will defend their position, and many more key issues surrounding follow-on biologics.

04.22.10: Keynote at BIOMEDevice Forum
Boston Convention & Exhibition Center

9:15am: Keynote Presentation: Integration of Therapeutics and Diagnostics: Lessons Learned from the Front Line
Kristin Pothier, Vice President
Developing, commercializing, and generating return on personalized medicine has been a dilemma for many stakeholders to date, as the success of each program is highly dependent on a number of factors that are not always aligned among different stakeholders. Therapeutics companies, diagnostics companies, and service providers each have different approaches and goals in helping bring personalized medicine to market. Now, more than ever, they are realizing the need for and positive impact of carefully crafting an internal personalized medicine strategy and working together in successful, mutually beneficial partnerships.

9:45am: Keynote Panel
A lively discussion with executives from leading therapeutics, diagnostics, and life sciences companies who have spearheaded personalized medicine initiatives and have found ways to collaborate effectively for maximum return.

Panelists:
Iain Miller, Ph.D., Executive Director, Theranostics Strategy and Business Development, bioMérieux
Steve Bushnell, Ph.D., Sr. Director, Discovery Translational Medicine, Biogen Idec
Lee Babiss, Ph.D., Executive Vice President of Global Laboratory Services, PPD (formerly of GSK and Roche)
Gary Gustavsen, Associate, Health Advances (moderator)

learn more about Health Advances’ expertise in diagnostics.

02.05.10: Daniel Selvig Attends 2010 Highlights of ASH Meeting in San Francisco
Daniel Selvig, Consultant at Health Advances, represented Health Advances at the 2010 Highlights of ASH Meeting February 5-6, 2010. The meeting will feature leading hematology experts who will present analysis of the ASH annual meeting abstracts, evolving therapies, and the latest treatment options. In addition, daily panel discussions and programs such as “Breakfast with the Experts” will provide the opportunity to discuss real patient cases with leaders in the field, gain knowledge that can impact patient care strategies, and network with colleagues.

learn more about our expertise in Oncology and Hematology.

01.30.10: Skip Irving Moderates Panel at HBS
Skip Irving, Partner and Managing Director at Health Advances, moderated a panel at Harvard Business School’s 2010 Healthcare Conference. The panel, presented by the Healthcare Club at HBS, was entitled “Venture Capital & Entrepreneurship — Will Policy Changes Kill Innovation in Healthcare?” Joining Skip on the panel were:

Bonnie Fendrock, President and CEO, Hepregen Corporation
Jeffrey Levin-Scherz, Principal, Towers Perrin
Tom McKinley, General Partner, Cardinal Partners

12.10.09: Kristin Pothier Participates in BIOMEDevice Forum in San Jose
In recent months, DTC genomics has been under intense scrutiny. Kristin Pothier, Vice President, Health Advances, addressed this topic on December 10th at the 2009 BIOMEDevice Forum in San Jose, CA. She was joined by Amy DuRoss, Vice President of Policy and Business Affairs, Navigenics; Leah Sparks, Sr. Director, Business Development, DNA Direct; and Sandra Lee, Ph.D. Senior Research Scholar, Stanford University. The panelists discussed how each has navigated through the regulatory, ethical, and business issues surrounding direct-to-consumer diagnostics, what their greatest drivers and barriers are today, and how these controversial offerings may change in the future.

learn about Health Advances’ expertise in diagnostics and discovery tools and read our latest publications.

12.03.09: Marie Schiller and Skip Irving Participate in Faster Cures Conference
Marie Schiller, Partner, and Skip Irving, Partner and Managing Director, represented Health Advances at the FasterCures conference in New York City. “Partnering for Cures” was a first-of-its-kind meeting that brought together philanthropy, medical research foundations, and the biopharmaceutical industry in an effort to forge strategic collaborations key to the timely development of new medical solutions. In addition to attending the conference, Marie Schiller participated in a panel discussion entitled “Stories from the Front Lines of Philanthropy.” Panel members shared their thoughts on philanthropic investment and collaboration in the battle to conquer deadly diseases.

Speakers
Dana Ball, Program Director
David Panzirer - Trustee
Melissa Berman, CEO & President for Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
Marie Schiller, Partner – Health Advances
Doug Melton, Harvard Stem Cell Institute
Alan Lewis, CEO - JDRF

11.10.09: Paula Ness Speers attends Major Orthopedics Meeting in San Francisco (NASS)
Paula Ness Speers, Partner and Managing Director at Health Advances, participated in the annual meeting of the North American Spine Society in San Francisco during the week of November 10th. Health Advances has extensive experience in orthopedics. We have worked with clients on a variety of projects such as new product design assessments, market sizing for new orthopedic products, and pricing and reimbursement strategies prior to market launch. The firm also supports major transactions for strategic and financial clients interested in orthopedics products or companies by conducting due diligence for licensing or acquisition activities.

Paula oversees the majority of our work in the orthopedic sector and can be reached by calling the firm’s Boston area office at 781-647-3435.

11.09.09: Health Advances Hosts VIP Reception for Executives interested in Vaccines and Global Health at the Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA
Health Advances hosted a VIP reception for approximately 80 executives interested in better understanding opportunities for vaccines in the global health arena on November 9th at the Broad Institute in Cambridge. The reception preceded the MIT Enterprise Forum’s program titled: Vaccines & Global Health: New Technologies Create Global Opportunities.

Paula Ness Speers, Partner and Managing Director at Health Advances, leads the firm’s Global Health practice area, which works with a range of clients, including non-profit global health organizations and for-profit companies developing products with potential applications in the developing world.

To learn more about our experience in the areas of vaccines and global health, please call Paula Ness Speers at Health Advances’ Boston area office: 781-647-3435.

07.21.09: Has Point of Care Come of Age?
The logic of POC testing, enabling rapid diagnosis and treatment, has been impeccable for decades. Nevertheless, relatively few POC tests have become commercial successes. Will a more cost-conscious healthcare system catalyze or impede the adoption of more POC testing? Which POC innovations will move the needle? What is the future of POC testing in the US and ROW? Some of the industry's pioneers joined us for a lively debate on this topic during the year’s AACC in Chicago, IL.

Panelists:
Kristin Pothier, Vice President, Health Advances (Moderator and Presenter)
Kent Lewandrowski, Editor-in-Chief, Point of Care Journal
David Lewis, Executive Director, Morgan Stanley-Research
Robert Kunkler, Divisional Vice President, Business Development, Abbott POC
John McDonough, CEO, T2 Biosystems
Douglas Michels, President and CEO, OraSure Technologies
Clinton Severson, Chairman, President and CEO, Abaxis

learn about Health Advances’ expertise in diagnostics and discovery tools and read our latest publications.

06.09.09: Consumer Genetics Show
Philina Lee, PhD, Associate at Health Advances, will address the challenges of biomarker commercialization at the First Annual Consumer Genetics Show at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, June 9-11, 2009. This premier genetics show will gather companies and organizations involved in DTC genetic testing, genetic research, healthcare, and law to discuss issues facing the field: best practices, how to navigate the healthcare system, scientific and technological advances, legal and regulatory challenges, and more.

learn more about Health Advances’ expertise in complex diagnostics and read about our latest publications.

04.22.09: BIOMEDevice Forum
Kristin Pothier, Vice President and Susan Posner, Vice President participated in the BIOMEDevice Forum, New England's premier executive-level conference focusing on convergence and cross-sector collaborations among companies in the biotechnology, medical device, IVD, and pharmaceutical industries. This two-day event brought together key players involved in investing, partnering, licensing, and developing business opportunities in the rapidly growing market for innovative healthcare products.

Drug Delivery and Diagnostics
Kristin Pothier, Vice President, Health Advances (Moderator)
Kristin assembled and led senior executives from Allegro Diagnostics, Genzyme Corporation, Infinity Pharmaceuticals, SeraCare Life Sciences, and BG Medicine on a panel discussion of “Drug Delivery and Diagnostics,” exploring how different companies are harnessing the power of drug/diagnostic convergence to push both innovation in the space and corporate objectives forward.

Joining Kristin on the panel were:
Dan Rippy, President & CEO of Allegro Diagnostics
Joan Keutzer, Vice President, Scientific Affairs, Genzyme Corporation
John Evans, Director of Product Development, Infinity Pharmaceuticals
Michael Steele, Vice President- Business Development, SeraCare Life Sciences
Gregg Mayer, Vice President, Diagnostic Strategy, BG Medicine

Convergent Technologies Present Unique Regulatory and Clinical Challenges
Susan, along with David Fox of Hogan & Hartson LLP and Tom Hutchinson of Davol (CR Bard), led a discussion on the unique challenges posed by combination products and convergent technologies in the clinical pathway and regulatory processes. Susan offered her wide-ranging expertise in the device sector and discussed specific strategies that can be used along the regulatory and clinical paths to avoid pitfalls and maximize revenues.

03.26.09: Is There a Business Model for Companion Diagnostics?
Kristin Pothier, Vice President, Health Advances, moderated “Is There a Business Model for Companion Diagnostics?” as part of Windhover’s groundbreaking webinar series, Pharma Business Strategies for Biomarkers. The webinar provided thought-provoking analysis of the evolving concept of how a biomarker may ultimately become linked to a diagnostic product opportunity — as a predictive test to select patients more likely to respond to a drug or class of drugs, or as a way to monitor a response to one. But diagnostics development costs are soaring with greater demands for validation from prospective clinical trials, and pharma companies have been reluctant to support these efforts. Where are diagnostics companies turning for support and funding? Which high-value opportunities can sustain a business? Is collaboration the answer, and if so, in what form?
Joining Kristin were Mickey Urdea, CEO of Tethys Bioscience; Rosanne Welcher, PhD, MBA General Manager & VP, R&D of The Dako Group; Iain Miller, Senior Director, Oncology Strategy and Theranostics, BioMérieux; and Peter Collins, Senior Vice President of Business Development, DxS

see webinar presentation (PDF: 318KB)

02.26.09: Due Diligence – The Un-sung Hero in the Deal Process
Marie Schiller, Partner at Health Advances, shared her views on the deal process at a meeting of the Massachusetts Biotech Council (MBC) in Cambridge, MA. Marie was joined by panelists from the pharmaceutical industry to discuss due diligence in the transaction process, including buyer and seller perspectives and best practices. Marie’s expertise in guiding corporations through business and scientific analyses on product development, market positioning, and corporate strategy as well as her M&A experience complemented insights from these industry panelists: Janice Olson, VP of Program Management, Genzyme; Young T. Kwon, Director, New Ventures and Business Development, Biogen Idec; Philip T. Chase, VP of Legal, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; and Clare Fisher, Senior Director, Oncology Business Development, Genzyme Corporation.