Emerging pharma companies are an important source of innovation for the pharmaceutical industry, but how is this sector performing, and what are the opportunities for partnering for larger pharma companies and for suppliers, contract development and manufacturing organizations, and contract manufacturing organizations?

The DCAT Week education program, Emerging Pharma: Market Overview, Innovation in Project Management, and CMC Readiness, which will be on Tuesday March 21, will provide the latest on financing trends and partnerships into the emerging pharma sector, how investors rank manufacturing in their valuations, and first-hand insight from pharma companies and suppliers in project management.

Tracking the sector
Financing trends and partnership activity with larger pharmaceutical companies are important measures of the health of emerging pharmaceutical companies. In evaluating the viability of companies in this sector, suppliers must gain needed information that address the following questions:

• What is the flow of venture capital funding and the pace of initial public offerings in this sector?
• Are large pharmaceutical companies seeking early-stage or late-stage drug assets?
• Is there sufficient funding to sustain pipelines and development and manufacturing activities?

Richard Harrison, chief scientific officer, Clarivate Analytics (formerly the IP and Sciences Business of Thomson Reuters), will address these issues in a market overview of the emerging pharma sector.

Innovation in project management
Successful supplier relationship management is crucial in bringing a project to fruition, but how can sponsor companies and CMOs take their campaigns to the next level? In a co-presentation at the DCAT Week education program, Emerging Pharma: Market Overview, Innovation in Project Management, and CMC Readiness, Leonard Rozamus, senior director, product development and manufacturing operations, ARIAD Pharmaceuticals (now part of Takeda Pharmaceuticals) and Stephen Munk, site head and president, Ash Stevens, a division of Piramal Pharma Solutions, will provide a case study to share best practices and key success factors that they used to resolve challenges and apply innovative approaches in project management.

CMC readiness: does it matter to investors?
As emerging pharmaceutical companies seek to partner with larger pharmaceutical companies and/or raise funding through public and private investors, how important is CMC (chemistry, manufacturing and controls) readiness in these investment decisions? Although the market strength of drug candidates or commercial products drive deal-making and funding, can CMC be a deal breaker? Loren A. Busby, managing member, Cresco Advisors LLC, provides insight of an investor into this decision-making in valuations and Ben Yerxa, president and co-founder of Envisia Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company specializing in ophthalmology, shares his experience gained from leading several pharmaceutical start-ups.

For information on the DCAT Week education program, Emerging Pharma: Market Overview, Innovation in Project Management, and CMC Readiness, including how to register, may be found here.