The challenges of today stem from the success of our industry — bringing new products to market, negotiating deal terms, and buiding cultures of regulatory compliance.

Beyond Borders: the global biotechnology report 2007

Success and growth bring their own challenges

At 31-years old, biotechnology has reached a point where it has "come of age" and now it's on to the maturing years. We've seen evidence of strengthening pipelines, revenue growth, and progress towards profitability. This is often when challenges emerge that are the result of success. Challenges born from the convergence in time of innovative new products, newly profitable companies, and escalating regulatory challenges.

Reflecting on 2006, looking ahead for 2007. In this year’s "Beyond Borders" report, biotech and pharmaceuticals executives and global financial experts analyze the economic motivation, political environment, and cultural diversity that shaped record-breaking revenue and investment numbers around the world in 2006.

Regional reporting. Articles focusing on specific regions offer in-depth reporting and opinions that can help executives, analysts, and investors better understand an industry that’s becoming a regulation minefield while at the same time offering spectacular rewards to those who can successfully navigate the field.

Commercialization trends, deal making, and CEO survey results. Highlights from "Beyond Borders" include outtakes from two roundtables and a survey of top CEOs and executives sharing their perspectives on product commercialization trends, deals, and just what keeps them up at night. Key topics covered include:

• Best practices for bringing a product to market
• Product launch risks and pitfalls
• In-house launch vs. partnering
• Impact of regulatory "fourth hurdle"
• Reimbursement strategy

• Deal flow and promising industry segments
• Acquisition premiums as a trend
• Challenges for buyers and sellers in the current environment
• Best practices to mitigate risk
• Implications of increased buyer competition
• Early-stage deals and their risks
• Trading sales instead of IPOs for exits

• More than 400 responses by company executives from the US, Europe, and Canada
• Data regarding hiring expectations, M&A plans, global expansion, outsourcing, and regulatory challenges

Record-breaking year

A snapshot of the numbers from the 2007 "Beyond Borders" report:

• Globally, companies raised US$27.9 billion
• VC reached all-time record of US$5.4 billion
• Public company revenues surpassed US$70 billion
• Public company losses fell 37% in Europe, 43% in Canada
• US product approvals up from 33 in 2005 to 36 in 2006
• Applications and approvals in Europe grew from 21 to 25

Historic advances, global maturity

Strong product pipelines and product success, record-breaking financial totals, and unprecedented deal activity mark historic advances that move the biotechnology industry toward global maturity. Read our press release for more insight about the industry’s most pressing challenges as reported in “Beyond Borders."