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  • Pages
  • Editions
01 Cover
02 Welcome Letter / Sections
03 Article & Interview Directory
04 Section 1: Introduction
05 Introduction to US Life Sciences
06 Janssen Pharmaceuticals Interview
07 Investment Climate
08 MPM Capital Interview
09 Signet Healthcare Partners Interview
10 Xontogeny Interview
11 Insights from EisnerAmper
12 The Life Sciences Regulatory Climate
13 Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC Interview
14 PhRMA Interview
15 PBOA Interview
16 Ernst & Young LLP Interview
17 LaVoieHealthScience Interview
18 Section 2: Introducing the Hubs
19 East Coast
20 BioNJ Interview
21 MassBio Interview
22 Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center Interview
23 West Coast
24 Biocom California Interview
25 QB3-Berkeley Interview
26 Section 3: Drug Discovery and Development
27 Therapeutic Fields On Fire
28 Insmed Interview
29 Mammoth Biosciences Interview
30 Innovations Enhancing the Patient Experience
31 Arcturus Therapeutics Interview
32 Karius Interview
33 Expert Insights: Targeted Therapeutics
34 First Wave BioPharma Interview
35 Aphios Corporation Interview
36 Section 4: Contract Manufacturing and Chemicals
37 A Shifting Landscape
38 Syngene International Interview
39 Cambrex Interview
40 Lubrizol Life Science Interview
41 Aenova Group Interview
42 Keeping Up With Demands
43 Cureline Interview
44 Interview: Murli Krishna Pharma
45 PsychoGenics Interview
46 Expert Insights: Innovative Technologies
47 AMPAC Fine Chemicals Interview
48 TCG Lifesciences Interview
49 CordenPharma Interview
50 Quotient Sciences Interview
51 A Post-Pandemic World
52 New Vision Pharmaceuticals Interview
53 Adare Pharma Solutions Interview
54 Ascendia Pharmaceuticals Interview
55 Chemicals Producers and Distributors
56 Brenntag North America Interview
57 BASF Pharma Solutions Interview
58 Section 5: Technology Services
59 Life Sciences Go Digital
60 RxS Interview
61 Insights from Markem-Imaje
62 AiCure Interview
63 WhizAI Interview
64 Section 6: Company Profiles
65 Brenntag Company Profile
66 Adare Pharma Solutions Company Profile
67 Quotient Sciences Company Profile
68 SK pharmteco Company Profile
69 AiCure Company Profile
70 Markem-Imaje Company Profile
71 TCG Lifesciences Company Profile
72 Murli Krishna Pharma Company Profile
73 Credits

Joe Panetta, President & CEO,

BIOCOM CALIFORNIA

"We experienced explosive growth across the state and consequently adopted a new name: Biocom California."

What have been the key advancements in Biocom California’s operations over the past few years?

We experienced explosive growth across the state and consequently adopted a new name: Biocom California. Our new brand reflects our leadership as the statewide trade association for the life sciences with more than 1,600 members in key life science clusters across California. We provide our members with advocacy, connections to capital, workforce development, an expanding talent pipeline, and networking opportunities in a state that has the largest concentration of life science companies in the world. Further east, Biocom California expanded its presence in Washington D.C., strengthening our policy expertise in FDA and CMS to complement our historical relationships with Congress and the executive branch.

On a regional level, we have seen an explosive growth in each of our clusters. In the San Francisco Bay Area, we see major companies like AbbVie, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Merck create large facilities in South San Francisco, the birthplace of biotech. In the greater Los Angeles region, we see organic growth and the rise of venture capital players. A few years ago, there were only a handful of large life science companies in the region. Gilead Sciences' acquisition of Kite Pharma for US$11.9 billion produced a new crop of serial entrepreneurs and other talent, leading to the launch of new companies. In San Diego, we have a growing abundance of new early-stage companies. UC San Diego is one of the most preeminent research universities, and its notoriety and success with technology transfer leads to new company creation.

Biocom California is also addressing a critical challenge. We must attract more talent to our industry – more researchers, business professionals, entrepreneurs, and future executives. And it needs to be diverse talent. In 2021, Biocom California launched a major Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative, leading to the rollout of our statewide DE&I member CEO pledge.

One of the key drivers of the future of healthcare will be the convergence of tech, biotech, and medtech. We believe that Silicon Valley and the life science ecosystem are uniquely positioned to address the future of healthcare. Our new Tech+Biotech+Medtech community aims to capitalize on existing expertise by creating opportunities for experts from the three sectors to come together to realize the full promise of digital health.

How would you assess the industry’s response to Covid-19?

The speed at which the industry capitalized on several years of mRNA research to develop vaccines and partner with the FDA to get these through the regulatory review process was incredible. Many companies in California had already been working in the diagnostics arena, which was not the most lucrative field of biotechnology pre-Covid. These companies quickly shifted their diagnostics technologies towards pandemic-related needs.

Through the pandemic, we helped our members access the supplies and regulatory knowledge necessary to continue working. Biocom California assembled a statewide Covid-19 task force, bringing together experts from various fields including HR, facilities management, environmental health and safety, legal, and government affairs, to provide a one-stop comprehensive guidebook for our members.

What advancements has California made in the precision medicine space?

California has made great progress in precision medicine and our members lead the way in genetic sequencing, data analytics, and cell and gene therapy. Regenerative medicine is also growing – a few years ago, we were able to renew the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine's funding at US$5.5 billion so it could continue to provide grant funding to California-based companies developing technologies using stem cell research to treat patients in a more targeted way.

As we head into a post-pandemic world, where will Biocom California focus its efforts?

We want patients to have access to affordable medicines, which entails partnerships between industry, government, and other entities like PBMs, insurance companies, and hospitals.

Biocom California worked with laser-focus to defeat HR3, a bill in the House of Representatives that proposed to import foreign price controls on biopharmaceutical products, potentially destroying market competition that has rewarded biotech investment in the US and resulted in the introduction here of the most revolutionary therapies in the world.

Additionally, Biocom California values its partnerships with global entities, such as our 10-year relationship with Japan. We continue to look at regions with strong life science industries that could be potential partners and prioritize positioning the California life science industry on the world stage.

Next:

Interview: QB3-Berkeley