2015 BIO International Convention

In 2015 the BIO International Convention is headed to the heart of the U.S. biopharma industry. In close proximity to New York’s financial markets and Washington, D.C.’s regulatory center, the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area is home to more than 1,200 companies, ranging from the biopharma industry’s largest multinational companies to its fastest growing firms. The region’s vast array of leading universities and research institutions fosters a collaborative environment. In the past 10 years alone, the region has drawn nearly $4 billion in venture capital funding (according to the Jones Lang LaSalle Life Sciences Cluster Report 2012).

Cynthia Bens, the Alliance’s Vice President of Public Policy, will be a panelist on two sessions – The Bioethics of Drug Development: You Decide and Speaking Up: The Role of Patient Advocates in Shaping Regulatory and Science Policy:

The Bioethics of Drug Development: You Decide
Monday, June 15, 2015
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Pennsylvania Convention Center (1101 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA), Room 108A

Session Description:
This interactive session will follow a meeting of the Board of Directors of the mock biotech manufacturer iCures, as panel moderator Steve Usdin, Washington Editor of BioCentury and mock iCures CEO, will lead panelists, or “Board members,” in a discussion of the critical bioethical issues innovative manufacturers face in today’s healthcare ecosystem. Panelists will provide insights from a diversity of perspectives, representing investors, the patient advocacy community, bioethicists, and federal regulators, among others. Attendees will have the opportunity to be part of the discussion and provide real-time feedback on the panel’s deliberations through an interactive software interface. To encourage a robust, nuanced discussion, this session will be open to the broader public at no charge.

Panelists:
Cynthia Bens, Vice President, Public Policy, Alliance for Aging Research
Richard Moscicki, Deputy Center Director, Science Operations, Food and Drug Administration (Invited)
J. Leighton Reed, Venture Partner, Alloy Ventures
Allen Waxman, General Counsel, Eisai
Steve Usdin, Washington Editor, BioCentury (Moderator)

Speaking Up: The Role of Patient Advocates in Shaping Regulatory and Science Policy
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
3:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Pennsylvania Convention Center (1101 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA), Room 106AB

Session Description:
FDA’s Patient Focused Drug Development program, 21st Century Cures, driving innovation, PDUFA VI and the many access challenges patients face today. These are all areas in which the persistent, sophisticated advocacy of national nonprofit organizations has driven and changed public policy over the last decade. This panel will bring together advocacy groups’ policy experts to share experiences, analysis and best practices for shaping public policy for the betterment of science, and in the hope of ensuring a brighter future for the patients they serve.

Panelists:
Cynthia Bens, Vice President, Public Policy, Alliance for Aging Research
Marc Boutin, Chief Executive Officer, National Health Council
Steve Gibson, Chief Mission Strategy and Public Policy Offer, ALS Association

For more information about the 2015 BIO International Convention, visit convention.bio.org.