Panel: Pharma's Partnership Priorities: Betting Smart, Not Just Big

Session details:

Large pharma companies are moving beyond the biggest or flashiest licensing deals and focusing on high-quality, lower-risk partnerships with long-term value. This shift has major implications for how emerging biotech companies engage in business development. In this session, BD leaders and dealmakers will discuss how pharma evaluates risk, filters partner opportunities, and structures partnerships to align with today’s economic and pipeline realities.

This session will dig into real-world strategies for navigating modern deal dynamics—from shifting diligence expectations to evolving risk-sharing models—and help both buyers and sellers understand what really matters in 2025 and beyond.

You’ll walk away with insight on:

• How biotech companies can position themselves for serious consideration, even in a crowded field
• How pharma teams are using deeper diligence filters to de-risk innovation before committing
• Why internal alignment and stakeholder advocacy are more critical than ever in deal decisions
• What "risk-sharing" looks like in today’s licensing and co-development deals
• Common negotiation bottlenecks and how to break through them