Back to School 2011: Innovation & collaboration

Since the economic downturn of 2008, doom has become ingrained in the biopharma narrative.

According to the mantra, budgets for great science have flatlined. New startups can't find VC money to translate great science because VCs cannot find new risk capital. And VCs can't get exits because IPOs have dried up and it's a buyer's market for trade sales. For biotech, "risk-sharing" pharma deals mean "back-loaded." Pipelines are shrinking as R&D downsizes. Breakthrough drugs can't get approved by risk-averse regulators in a hostile political climate. And public and private cost controls are killing reimbursement as drug companies increasingly are relegated to "vendor" status in the healthcare system...