The Biotechnology Industry Organization [1] (BIO) today announced this year’s Fireside Chats lineup for the 15^th annual BIO CEO & Investor Conference [2]. The chats will feature a set of moderated, one-on-one conversations with industry leaders, followed by an interactive question and answer session. The event, to be held in New York City, February 11 – 12, 2013, is the largest independent investor conference focused on publicly-traded biotechnology companies.

“The biotech industry has weathered some storms since the financial crisis, but the innovations and successes that come out of this industry continue to inspire me,” said Jean-Jacques Bienaimé, Chief Executive Officer, BioMarin. “The BIO CEO and Investor Conference brings together high-level industry stakeholders and addresses the timeliest and most relevant issues we face. I’m pleased to represent BioMarin in such a forum.”

Last year, the FDA approved 40 novel drugs (15 being orphan drugs), an approval rate not seen in this industry since the 1990s. The top three therapeutic areas (cancer, cardiovascular, and metabolic) accounted for 60% of novel drug approvals. The 2013 Fireside Chat lineup includes CEOs from public companies with 2012 FDA approvals, including Gilead (GILD [3]) and Onyx (ONXX [4]) with others on track for additional filings this year. The complete list of participants in presenting order includes:

• Robert Hugin, Chairman and CEO, Celgene Corporation
  Mr. Hugin serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Celgene Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative therapies for unmet medical needs in cancer and immune-inflammatory disease. He joined Celgene in June 1999 and has been a Director of Celgene since December 2001.
  Monday, February 11^th, 8:00 – 8:45 a.m.

• John C. Lechleiter, PhD, Chairman, President and CEO, Eli Lilly
  Dr. Lechleiter is chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Eli Lilly and Company. He served as president and chief operating officer from 2005 to 2008. He joined Lilly in 1979 as a senior organic chemist and has held management positions in England and the U.S. He was named vice president of pharmaceutical product development in 1993 and vice president of regulatory affairs in 1994. In 1996, he was named vice president for development and regulatory affairs. Dr. Lechleiter became senior vice president of pharmaceutical products in 1998 and executive vice president for pharmaceutical products and corporate development in 2001. He was named executive vice president for pharmaceutical operations in 2004.
  Monday, February 11^th, 1:00 – 1:25 p.m.

• N. Anthony Coles, MD, Chairman & CEO, Onyx Pharmaceuticals
  Dr. Coles joined Onyx in March 2008 as President and Chief Executive Officer. In 2012, Dr. Coles was appointed as Chairman of the board of directors. Prior to joining Onyx, he held a number of senior level positions with companies such as NPS Pharmaceuticals, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Merck & Co.
  Tuesday, February 12^th, 7:45 – 8:25 a.m.

• John F. Milligan, PhD, President and Chief Operating Officer, Gilead Pharmaceuticals
  Dr. Milligan joined Gilead Sciences in 1990 as a research scientist and was made Director of Project Management and Project Team Leader for the Gilead Hoffmann-La Roche Tamiflu® collaboration in 1996. In 2002, Dr. Milligan was appointed Chief Financial Officer. He was named Chief Operating Officer in 2007 and President in 2008. Dr. Milligan was named "Bay Area CFO of the Year" in 2006 for companies with revenues greater than $500 million, and he was named the top biotechnology industry CFO in the United States by Institutional Investor magazine in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
  Tuesday, February 12^th, 11:00 – 11:25 a.m.

• Jean-Jacques Bienaimé, CEO, BioMarin
  Mr. Bienaimé joined BioMarin in May 2005 as chief executive officer and member of the board of directors, bringing with him over 25 years of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Under his leadership, the market capitalization of BioMarin went from around $450 million in May 2005 to over $4.5 billion in the summer of 2012. BioMarin 2012 revenues are anticipated to be approximately $500 million. BioMarin is a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company with over 1000 employees.
  Tuesday, February 12^th, 3:30 – 3:55 p.m.

In addition to Fireside Chats, the conference will host Therapeutic Workshops [5], Business Roundtables [6] and BIO One-on-One Partnering™. BIO One-on-One Partnering™ system provides the opportunity to arrange meetings between investors, companies and industry executives. Furthermore, the event features presentations from more than 130 leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.

Qualified institutional and venture investors whose primary activity is direct investment in research and development companies are eligible for complimentary registration [7]. Equity research analysts from investment banking institutions also qualify as investors. Media registration [8] is complimentary for credentialed members of the media. All registrations are subject to verification of credentials.

BIO is pleased to recognize the leadership provided by the BIO CEO & Investor Conference sponsors. The bank sponsors include: Stifel Nicolaus Weisel, Leerink Swann and ROTH Capital Partners, LLC.

To learn more about the BIO CEO & Investor Conference, including registration and program information, please visit here [9].

About BIO

BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world. BIO produces BIOtechNOW [10], an online portal and monthly newsletter chronicling “innovations transforming our world.” Subscribe to BIOtechNOW [11].

Upcoming BIO Events

BIO Asia International Conference [12]
January 29 – 30, 2013
Tokyo, Japan

BIO CEO & Investor Conference [13]
February 11 – 12, 2013
New York City, NY

BIO IPCC Conference [14]
March 25 – 27, 2013
San Diego, CA

BIO International Convention [15]
April 22 – 25, 2013
Chicago, IL

World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology [16]
June 16 – 19, 2013
Montreal, Canada