Biotech executives hold in-person meeting in Berlin
On 2 and 3 December, the 23rd CEO & CFO Meeting for biotech companies and industry supporters of BIO Deutschland took place in person in Berlin. All participants, but also the conference venue’s staff, were required to adhere to the “2G Plus” rules. More than 50 biotech executives were enthusiastic about the event concept, which enabled face-to-face exchange under strict safety precautions for the COVID-19 pandemic.
The programme was wide and varied. Following welcome remarks from the association’s chairman Oliver Schacht, Claudia Ulbrich, CEO of Cardior Pharmaceuticals, provided insight into the development of RNA-based drugs for cardiological indications. In the afternoon, Christine Lang, a board member at Belano Medical, gave a presentation on probiotics as products at the frontier between food and pharma, highlighting the differences and similarities between the various product groups and markets.
The day ended with dinner at a Middle Eastern restaurant on Kurfürstendamm, of course in compliance with the 2G Plus rules.
The second day of the conference kicked off with a talk by Dominik Schumacher, founder and CEO of Tubulis. He not only provided an overview of the company’s background, but also presented a special approach for improving antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) in terms of toxicity, efficacy and possible applications.
As always many companies reported on their accomplishments of the past year and their plans for the future. Young founders presented themselves in a start-up session. The company presentations are traditionally moderated by members of the BIO Deutschland board. Two workshops were also held on the topics of “Going East – Markets, Tariffs and Trade with and within China” (moderated by Michael Baum, QIAGEN, and Axel Lohse, Health – Made in Germany export initiative) and “Presenting Biotech in the Media and to Policy Makers – Exchange of Ideas and Experiences” (moderated by Helga Rübsamen-Schaeff, AiCuris, and Sylvia Wojczewski, BioSpring).
Sponsors of the event were Amazon Web Services (AWS), Boehringer Ingelheim, Miltenyi Biotec, QIAGEN, Schmidt Versicherungs Treuhand AG (subsidiary of the BüchnerBarella Group) and Thermo Fisher Scientific. The sponsors presented their activities and offerings over the course of the event. The CEO & CFO Meeting is held exclusively for managing directors, CEOs and CFOs of biotechnology companies. The annual meeting takes place in a different location each year.
