LSPA On Demand

Finance Operations Series

The Finance Operations Series welcomes experts from KPMG for quarterly educational sessions to discuss the current financial landscape and give actionable tips on navigating everyday financial challenges for members.

LSPA partners with experts at KPMG to provide members a timely and relevant series for financial planning and operations. The topics that were discussed in this session are: Advisory Landscape – the economic landscape means for strategic planning for R&D companies Human Resources: Compensation & Benefits – discrepancy between capabilities and compensation, CFO Hiring and packages Deal Making & Reverse Mergers – the time it takes for deals to happen i.e. state of economy considerations, time it takes to value a company, culture of compensation, etc. Different types of deals, reverse mergers, SPACs (a fad that is fading?)

In this session, various KPMG tax partners and professionals will discuss what companies across the Life Sciences industry are facing with regard to the ERC and other federal and state incentives for the coming year as well as the tax considerations of a remote workforce.

In this session, various KPMG tax partners and professionals will discuss what companies across the Life Sciences industry are facing with regard to recent economic developments as well as industry trends in state, local, and value-added tax considerations.

This edition will focus on audits of financial statements, deferred compensation and 409A compensation, and Pennsylvania state budget considerations and what they mean for the R&D credit pool.

After attending this session, participants should be able to:

• Describe the key aspects and challenges of a global location and expansion analysis specific to Life Sciences
• Identify qualifying research activities and expenses in the Life Sciences industry for the Research and Development Tax Credit.
• Identify various corporate business incentives and evaluate whether they may benefit your organization
• Discuss VAT considerations for clinical trials in order to maximize import VAT recovery, determine reporting obligations, and apply exemption or other reliefs

After attending this session, participants should be able to:

• Summarize key tax considerations of IP planning from start-up to commercialization and how transfer pricing may play a role in the process
• Discuss the importance of collaboration and financial agreements in planning for the operational phase
• Discuss jurisdictional planning considerations related to the above

LAW – Legal Answers Workshop

The Legal Answers Workshop welcomes experts from Ballard Spahr to give actionable answers and tips to members on all sides of legal challenges and opportunities.

Survive and Thrive in the Current Fundraising Environment Market distress brings challenges, but also opportunities. In this session, Ballard Spahr experts will discuss what life sciences companies need to know about the legal aspects of fundraising, including Deal terms and how they are changing Prioritizing Programs Licensing IP as an asset.

This episode of LAW was moderated by Ryan Udell featuring Robert Barron, an experienced life science trial lawyer and partner at Ballard Spahr. Ryan and Robert discuss real world guidance related to forum selection, dispute resolution, indemnity and arbitration clauses as well as IP/inventorship disputes, supply orders and obligations and termination provisions.

In our kick-off to the series, this session tackles common challenges in protecting innovation in the life sciences arenas, to successfully protect your business’ objectives. Hear from experienced Ballard Spahr speakers who have decades of experience helping their clients navigate an ever-evolving IP landscape on a range of topics germane to your business.

Licensing Agreements and Partnering

In this episode, learn about the best practices in licensing and partnering agreements.  Hear from veteran Ballard Spahr lawyers, who have decades of experience working on these types of transactions in the life sciences industry.

Moderator: Ryan Udell, Partner

For our last LAW session of the year, our moderator Ryan Udell was joined by two of his Ballard Spahr partners, Meredith Dante and Brian Pinheiro, as they discuss top of mind employment issues and incentive compensation structures and strategies to help you continue to navigate the rapidly evolving post-Covid environment.

Advocacy Abstract

Life Sciences PA is proud to announce Advocacy Abstract, a new quarterly series providing comprehensive and efficient federal policy and advocacy information. This complimentary event for LSPA members is provided in partnership with two Washington, D.C.-based government affairs firms – Kimbell & Associates and Winning Strategies Washington.

In this session of Advocacy Abstract, hear experts from Kimbell & Associates and Winning Strategies Washington discuss comprehensive and efficient federal policy information.

Topics for this session included:

• Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) Reauthorization
• Implications of the debt limit deal on health spending in FY24 and beyond
• Emerging health policy changes advancing through Congress and in the Biden Administration

Speakers:

Rob Zucker, Partner, Winning Strategies Washington

Charla Penn, Principal, Winning Strategies Washington

John Ray, Senior Director, Government Affairs, Kimbell Associates

This first session of Advocacy Abstract provides an outlook on the first session of the 118th Congress. This discussion led by government relations professionals touches on topics such as: what a Republican-controlled U.S. House means for life sciences innovation and how companies should prepare for implementation of the drug price negotiation provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, among others.

Panelists:

Michael Merola, Managing Partner, Winning Strategies Washington

John Ray, Senior Director, Government Affairs, Kimbell & Associates

Moderator:

Amy Redl, Senior Director, Federal Government Affairs, Sanofi

Tell Me About Your DE&I Initiatives

Tell Me About Your DE&I Initiatives welcomes individuals from organizations within the life sciences to discuss their culture, hiring practices, and managing the changing landscape of the workplace. This program evolved from the student-facing Tell Me About Your Job program. To view on-demand recordings from Tell Me About Your Job, CLICK HERE.

Panel Discussion on changing DE&I landscape:

• Scott J. Blair, Senior Director, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), B. Braun Medical
• Craig Campbell II, Economic Inclusion Manager, Gilbane Building Company
• Donald A. Outing, Ph.D., Vice President for Equity and Community, University Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Lehigh University
• Moderator – Laura Yehuda, Partner, Ernst & Young & Anjelique Parnell, Partner, Ernst & Young

Panel Discussion on changing DE&I landscape:

• Cristina Lara, DE&I and People Relations Partner, Biogen
• Peter Leahy, Channel Leader, Marketing, Kimberley-Clark
• Amy Provost, Head of Talent Management, Novocure
• Moderator – Laura Yehuda, Partner, Ernst & Young

Panel Discussion

• Natasha Berry, Vice President of Inclusion Culture, Diversity & Equity, Smith + Nephew
• Jasmin Senior Bostic, Associate Director, Global Early Careers Program (US & EMEA), CSL Behring
• Nithya Srinivasan, Director of Marketing, Rheumatology, Janssen

Panel Discussion

• Delvina Morrow, Senior Director, Strategic Community Initiatives and DEI with the Pittsburgh Penguins
• Mary Walker, Vice President Human Resources at PECO
• Sumit Verma, Senior Vice President Commercial Manufacturing, Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc. 
• Moderated by Amy Dorfmeister, Partner, Ernst and Young

Panel Discussion

• Marcia O’Connor, Founder & CEO, The O’Connor Group
• Peter Leahy, Channel Leader, Marketing, Kimberly Clark Professional
• Joseph Lingle, Chief People Officer, Center for Breakthrough Medicines

Panel Discussion

• Rashida Dujue-Jackson, CEO, Diversitas
• Mindy Geib, Director of Strategic HR Services, MidAtlantic Employees’ Association
• Ed Seiders, Director of Business Development, 20/20 Visual Media

Phase-to-Phase: The Guide to Drug Development

Experts from FlowMetric will discuss the discovery stage, including target identification & validation, hit identification, and lead discovery & optimization.

Sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific and PPD, experts will present innovative strategies in outsourcing discovery that allows small companies to focus on their core discovery needs and frees them up from both a capital and manpower investment.

In this session, attendees will hear from experts about outsourcing discovery research – evaluating your options.

• Challenges for early-stage biotech companies surrounding their discovery efforts.
• Innovative strategies to help focus your discovery efforts without putting significant pressure on your organization.
• Benefits of incorporating innovative outsourcing strategies throughout your discovery programs.
• How best to choose an outsourcing strategy that maximizes benefit for your company.

Speaker: Erik Willems, PhD., Senior Manager Cell Biology, Research and Development, Thermo Fisher Scientific

Session Topic – Discovery: The do’s and don’t’s, experience perspective, and recognition of workarounds that enable the process. 

• Target Identification
• Target Validation
• Hit Identification/Lead Discovery
• Assay Development
• Lead Optimization

Speakers:

• Mark Tornetta, MS, Vice President of Lead Discovery, Tavotek Biotherapeutics
• Dominic Warrino, Ph.D., Senior Scientific Adviser, KCAS Bioanalytical & Biomarker Services
• Moderator: Ren Capocasale, Vice Chair & Founder, FlowMetric, a KCAS company

The Art of Fundraising

The Art of Fundraising welcomes experts from Danforth Advisors to give tips to companies on fundraising, building trusted advisor relationships, creating a team, and more!

Life Sciences PA, Danforth Advisors and Gallagher present The Art of Fundraising. In this edition, hear from panelists Roberto Cuca and Matt Medeiros as they discuss:

• Trying to attract a Board Member or Investor? Learn why securing insurance is key!
• Lessons learned – including what activities/claims are covered.
• Insurance Purchasing Milestones – securing critical coverages to protect D&O’s, key persons, assets, cyber/privacy risks and employees – when to consider purchasing these coverages.

The Art of Fundraising Series – Preparing for the Seed Round

Hear from industry experts on how you should prepare to start looking for seed funding.  Topics covered will include:

• Checklist for preparing for a seed round
• Seed round investors
• Popular forms of seed funding –  Convertible notes and SAFEs
• And more!

The Art of Fundraising – Episode 1

Experts from Danforth Advisors will give advice on raising capital for your organization. This will focus on the different stages of fundraising as well as providing real life examples.