Center for International Business

Tuck Global Healthcare Conference examines biogenerics as force in patient health

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—April 7, 2008

CONTACT: Kim Keating, 603-646-2733

HANOVER, N.H.—With the high cost of healthcare at the center of political and economic debates, the Tuck Healthcare Club and the Center for International Business at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth will hold the second annual Tuck Global Healthcare Conference on April 11 on campus. The conference will focus on the emergence of biogenerics in the biopharmaceutical industry—a recent development that could decrease costs for patients, allowing them access to the drugs they need, and could decrease the cost of treatment for diseases that was previously cost-prohibitive.

The event will bring together leaders in the industry to examine the effect of the developments in biogenerics that have emerged with the expiration of patents on the first generation of biopharmaceutical products. Research and advisory firm, Decision Resources, predicts that the market for biogenerics in the U.S. alone will grow to $2 billion by 2016 and that large biotech players are bracing for erosion in the sales of their branded products.

But due to the complexity of biopharmaceuticals, regulatory rules for approving biogeneric versions have yet to be put in place. The Food and Drug Administration's drug approval process does not yet support biogeneric reviews. As a result, "The issue of biosimilars is currently one of the most important issues in healthcare," explains Professor Don Conway, director of the Healthcare Initiative at Tuck. "This has an impact on patient access, providers' practice patterns, and companies' valuations. The fact that global markets have addressed the issue but the FDA has not makes it a bit confusing. The complexity of the issue is intellectually fascinating and commercially relevant."

Dr. Steven Gillis, Founder of Immunex Corporation and managing partner of ARCH Venture Partners, will deliver the keynote address, entitled "The Challenge of Biosimilars: Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze?" Dr. C. Everett Koop, former U.S. Surgeon General and founder of the C. Everett Koop Institute at Dartmouth, will deliver opening remarks.

Top biotech executives from companies such as Biogen Idec, Momenta Pharmaceuticals, and sanofi-aventis will serve on a panel discussing the implications of new developments on established biotech players and emerging biotech and biogeneric companies globally.

Conference sponsors include sanofi-aventis, Genentech, Boston Consulting Group, Bristol-Myers Squibb, AARP, Amgen, Avalere, Johnson & Johnson, and The John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College.

For more details on the event, visit www.tuckhealthcare.com

The Center for International Business at Tuck is dedicated to research, education, and dialogue on international issues facing business and national leaders.

Founded in 1900, Tuck is the first graduate school of management in the country and consistently ranks among the top business schools worldwide. Tuck remains distinctive among the world's great business schools by combining human scale with global reach, rigorous coursework with experiences requiring teamwork, and valued traditions with innovation.