About the event

With biotechnology firms finding it harder to raise finance and big Pharma still struggling to bolster R&D pipelines, M&A is firmly back on the agenda.

For biotechnology, investors are concentrating their holdings in companies with "critical mass", requiring companies to pursue M&A as a requisite to future financing and liquidity. Indeed, as ever burgeoning numbers of start-ups appear chasing a diminishing amount of investor monies, consolidation and the strategic negotiation of biotech-to-biotech mergers and acquisitions becomes ever more vital, both to increase product range and decrease risk and cost.

The number of billion dollar deals, hostile takeovers and bidding wars also show that Big Pharma is hungry for deals and is aggressively seeking alliances on several fronts. However they are chasing comprehensive, reproducible solutions to their urgent need for new drug targets, so biotechs might need to merge in order to create the value sought by large pharma.

This networking evening will seek to address how to engage in M&A activity whilst making a decent return for shareholders. In particular the following will be discussed:

• M&A in Pharma & Biotech and why it is necessary for the industry to thrive
• Why M&A will benefit shareholders in the long term and how to communicate this
• What successful acquisitions have in common
• Analysing the reasons for seeking an acquisition and prioritising them
• Building a long-term acquisition strategy and avoiding "panic buys"
• Calculating the extra costs and hassle of integrating the bought technology
• Where to look for sources of finance for the acquisition
• Maintaining the value of the acquisition post-deal
• The circumstances in which a merger is preferable to an acquisition
• Keeping down the transaction cost (lawyers etc.)
• Should smaller companies seek to be acquired rather than enter a joint venture or licensing agreement?
• Is there a level of product development that needs to be achieved before an acquirer will consider you?
• Measuring the acquisition risk
• How much the investors' decisions are influenced by the past and how much by future business plans
• Building a critical mass through M&A

Networking evening

One of the main reasons to attend this event is the opportunity to meet other key players within the industry, whether they be CEOs, Finance Directors, other key Directors, Consultants, Lawyers etc.

Due to the nature of this event NSEP will be particularly targeting the investors, including venture capitalists, banks, fund managers and corporate financial advisors.

The cocktail party immediately following the event (it is almost worth coming for the canapés themselves!) is the ideal place to discuss matters in a less formal environment, whether this discussion is directly related to the event topic or not.
 

Reserve a place

Your attendance can be confirmed by calling NSEP on 01923 240538, faxing the event registration form to 01923 620534 or clicking here. We do not encourage applications from anyone beneath director/vp/partner level. The cost for the evening is £140 + VAT per delegate - an invoice will be sent out upon receipt of the registration. We look forward to welcoming you on Thursday 3rd December..

Who will attend?

Expected breakdown of job titles

 

Expected breakdown by audience sector

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