MdBio, Inc. Breakfast Leadership Series to Explore Rising Tide of Non-Traditional Funding Opportunities for Bringing New Drugs to Market

Published: Feb 27, 2013

ROCKVILLE, MD--(Marketwire - February 27, 2013) -

WHO:
Tech Council of Maryland

WHAT:
"The Rising Tide of Non-Traditional Funding Opportunities"
MdBio Breakfast Leadership Series

WHERE:
Bethesda Country Club
7601 Bradley Blvd
Bethesda, MD 20817

WHEN:
Thursday, March 14
8 a.m. - 10 a.m.

WHY:
For the latest event in its Breakfast Leadership Series, TCM's MdBio Division is bringing together executives of advocacy organizations and drug manufacturers who are taking a venture philanthropy approach to bringing new, promising disease-specific drugs to market.

Advocacy groups and individuals seeking cures to various diseases are now playing an active role in funding research and development and commercialization of new drugs, including orphan drugs for rare conditions that typically do not get broad attention in today's competitive market.

This venture philanthropy approach is having a significant impact, including the January 2012 approval of Kalydeco, a new oral medication that targets the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis -- a faulty gene and its protein product, CFTR. Kalydeco was brought to market through a partnership between the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) and drugmaker Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Other organizations, such as FasterCures and the Parkinson's Action Network, are taking a similar approach to changing the medical research ecosystems by directing funding toward development of promising drugs for specific diseases vs. general, unproven technologies.

During this Breakfast Leadership Series, attendees will:

Hear about how CFF and Vertex have worked together on their target (approved) drug and what you should know about this experience.
Learn about what FasterCures does, and the importance of their advocacy role in moving research to patients/products.
Find out more about the Parkinson's Action Network, what funding it has available and how companies can partner with the group.

SPEAKERS:
Panelists include:

Margaret Anderson, Executive Director, FasterCures
Amy Comstock Rick, J.D., CEO, Parkinson's Action Network
Mary B. Dwight, Vice President of Government Affairs, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Samantha C. Ventimiglia, Senior Director, Government Affairs and Public Policy, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

ATTEND:
To register or for more information, please visit the TCM website.

ABOUT THE TECH COUNCIL OF MARYLAND, INC.
The Tech Council of Maryland (TCM) is the largest technology trade group serving the advanced technology and biotechnology communities of Maryland. TCM's mission is to advocate for the interests of the technology community, further the role of technology in the Maryland economy, and nurture an environment where technology companies can collaborate, grow and succeed. For more information, visit www.techcouncilmd.com.