Dr. Lester Crawford to Address BIO-Windhover Partnering Conference

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April , 2005) -- Lester Crawford, DVM, Ph.D., President George W. Bush’s nominee to serve as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), will deliver the keynote address Wednesday, April 27 at BIO-Windhover 2005, a partnering conference for senior pharmaceutical and biotechnology executives and business development professionals. The conference runs April 25-27, 2005 at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, D.C.

Drawing on his current role as the agency’s acting commissioner, Dr. Crawford will discuss FDA's recent progress and future priorities, particularly as they relate to the bioscience industry.

Other highlights of the conference include two plenary sessions that run prior to Dr. Crawford’s keynote.

In the first session, “M&A. Finally, A Real Answer,” a panel of experts will tackle the pros and cons of mergers and acquisitions. Indeed, Big Pharma and ambitious mid-size biotechs are increasingly marrying, often with successful results. Panelists will offer insight for companies facing such business moves. The session is scheduled 8:30 to 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 26.

Wednesday morning’s plenary will center on reimbursement, in a panel titled, “Down the Road Is Sooner Than You Think: Why Reimbursement Is Setting the Rules for Alliances.” The discussion will revolve around oncology, the most active deal-making category in the industry. Panelists will examine how payers, marketers, partners and investors are balancing the opportunities between numerous therapeutic improvements and rising costs. The session is scheduled 8:30 to 10 a.m., Wednesday, April 27.

For additional information, visit BIO’s Web site at www.bio.org. Registration for credentialed media is permitted on-site.

BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and 31 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products.

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