Back to Basics: 3 Key Tips for Developing an Effective Pitch

Russo Partners — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:43:06 +0000

Before reaching out to the media to discuss a potential story, there are several key steps that will make your pitch truly effective.

1. Really Do Your Homework

Once you have decided on a target publication, it is important to conduct detailed background research. Beyond reading the publication and researching if your topic has been covered, it is important to dissect the publication critically, noting different sections, columns, types of coverage (Is it news of the day? A feature story?) as well as the angle of the stories in each (Should it have an opinion? Or inform?).

Although this may seem time consuming at first, conducting background research will greatly increase the quality of your pitches, which will increase the likelihood that they will be of interest to the publication. And when you send a well thought out pitch to a journalist, they will be more likely to look for your pitch in the future. Additionally, doing your homework helps demonstrate the value you can bring to the publication.

2. Learn Individual Beats

While at first glance it may seem as though journalist’s within a publication have the same area of interest, for example science, there can be key nuances between coverage. Some may focus on the business side of science while others focus on scientific research. Getting your story to the right journalist will increase the likelihood it will be of interest and is a more effective use of your time and the journalist’s time.

3. Think Like a Journalist

Once you have broken down the publication and understand more about the format and who is writing certain stories, it is time to begin to think like a journalist, if you haven’t already. Think about your pitch in terms of a story. Are there trends in the space around which the company can provide insight? Does the company have a novel way to solve a problem in the space? It is important to remember the readership of the publication as well. Would this trend be of interest to the readers? If not, could you tweak the story to make it more of interest to this audience?

Taking this next step and thinking about what the readership would like to hear about from your company makes life much easier for the journalist. Instead of having to work to fit an interesting company into their coverage, sending a prepared story, complete with relevant sources, is much more beneficial.

While these strategies take more time and effort, implementing these tips should both improve the effectiveness of your pitches as well as your relationship with the journalist.

First Study Demonstrating Safety of Embryonic Stem Cell (ESC)-Derived Cells in Humans Reported by Advanced Cell Technology, Results Published in The Lancet

Russo Partners — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:59:57 +0000

For the first time, a study by Advanced Cell Technology (“ACT”; OTCBB: ACTC)

Dr. Steven Schwartz, a retina specialist at the University of California, Los Angeles, conducted the trial with two patients. (Monica Almeida/The New York Times)

demonstrated the safety of the transplantation of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) derived from retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) into patients. Additionally, the injected cells survived and continued to persist during the study period. Results were reported for two patients, the first in each of the Phase 1/2 clinical trials, and were published in The Lancet, representing an important milestone for the field of embryonic stem cell research.

A patient said her vision improved in a meaningful way after the treatment, which used embryonic stem cells. (Monica Almeida/The New York Times)

In the study, patients with Stargardt’s macular dystrophy (SMD) and dry age-related macular degeneration (dry AMD) were treated with ACT’s embryonic stem cell (ESC)-derived cells. Both patients were legally blind, and both had measurable improvements in their vision that persisted for more than four months. No treatments currently exist for either indication.

Through extensive media outreach coordinated by Russo Partners, coverage of this announcement was secured across all levels of print and broadcast media, including top tier, national, international, newswire, trade and regional outlets.

Below are links to samples of media coverage of the announcement:

FDA Accepts Resubmission of New Drug Application for Arena Pharmaceuticals’ Obesity Drug Candidate, Lorcaserin

Russo Partners — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:07:34 +0000

Representing a key development in the obesity space, Arena Pharmaceuticals and Eisai have announced that the FDA has accepted the resubmission of a New Drug Application (NDA) for obesity drug candidate, lorcaserin. The target date of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) has been set for June 27, 2012.

Weight loss for obese and overweight patients remains an area of significant unmet need for the healthcare system. In a study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the CDC reported that the prevalence of obesity has leveled (remaining unchanged since 2007), but the publication also indicated that obesity levels have not decreased since that time. According to the same study, more than 78 million adults in the United States, or a third of the population, and about 12.5 million children were obese between 2009 and 2010.

If approved, lorcaserin would be the first new drug approved by the FDA to treat obesity and overweight in over a decade. Lorcaserin targets a receptor believed to be involved in the control of appetite and metabolism, called the serotonin 2C receptor. It is intended for the treatment of obese patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater or overweight patients with a BMI of at least 27 and have at least one weight-related co-morbid condition.

Below is a link to an article from Bloomberg about the study from the CDC.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-17/obesity-rates-hit-plateau-among-u-s-adults-since-2000-cdc-report-finds.html

Russo Partners Attends the 30th Annual JPMorgan Healthcare Conference

Russo Partners — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:32:54 +0000

The Westin St. Francis in San Francisco’s Union Square

The largest healthcare investor conference of the year, the 30^thAnnual
JPMorgan Healthcare Conference, kicked off activities last week at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. The conference was attended by over 8,000 participants and 395 presenting companies.

Multiple clients presented at the conference, including Reata Pharmaceuticals, Cellular Dynamics International, Ambit Biosciences, Arena Pharmaceuticals, Puma Biotechnology, MorphoSys, Probiodrug and Amarin Corporation. Additionally, some of our clients presented at the adjacent Biotech Showcase 2012 held at the Parc 55 Wyndham Hotel, including Advanced Cell Technology, AssureRx Health, GlycoVaxyn and Sernova Corp.

Both conferences provided excellent forums for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies of all development stages and sizes to meet with investors, potential partners and buyers.

Russo Partners was involved with each step of the process, securing meetings with the media, investors, analysts and bankers. Russo Partners also supported other client communications activities related to the conference, such as news releases announcing client presentations and talking points for media meetings.

With over 100 meetings secured for our clients, we were extremely pleased with the connections made at this year’s JPMorgan Healthcare Conference, and we are looking forward to doing the same for next year as well.

The FDA Becomes More Social

Russo Partners — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:25:56 +0000

Last week the FDA issued draft guidance for social media marketing guidelines for pharmaceutical companies. Notably, this was the first time that the FDA had ever used the names “YouTube” or “Twitter” in a document.

The draft guidance focuses heavily on how to proceed when receiving an off label request, such as when a consumer asks for information about using a drug for an indication for which it is not approved. There are many others aspects of social media that will likely be addressed further by the FDA; however we believe this is a pivotal first step for the agency.

This guidance also signifies the high level of interest surrounding social media and that its influence is only growing. As a powerful way to reach target audiences and inform patients, it is important for pharmaceutical companies to be a part of the social media conversation.

At Russo Partners we have implemented multiple social media campaigns for clients using Twitter, YouTube and other social media sites to distribute company news, announcements and relevant content to audiences far and wide.

As an example, take a look at the YouTube channel we created for our client, OrbusNeich, as well as a sample video from the channel below:

http://www.youtube.com/user/orbusneichmedia

Happy Holidays from Russo Partners

Russo Partners — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:57:33 +0000

Here at Russo Partners, we would like to wish everyone − our clients, friends and colleagues − happy holidays and all the best for the coming year.

2011 has been a year of positive change for us, with moves and expansions in staff occurring at both our New York and San Diego offices. For the New York move, construction delays temporarily left us virtual for a three-week period, challenging our team to be more flexible than ever.

In addition, with the knowledge that many are struggling to find places to live, work and study, Russo Partners has made a charitable contribution to BuildOn, an organization that builds schools in Africa and Central America, as well as sponsors inner city after school programs in the United States. We are proud to support an organization championing such a worthy cause.

Per our tradition, both of our offices will be closed between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, with full activities resuming in the new year. During this time we are available for any of our client’s needs, and if a data announcement, partnership or other urgent news arises, we are always available.

Until then, here’s to a great 2012!

Russo Partners’ West Coast Office Welcomes Attendees of the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) to San Diego

Russo Partners — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:51:02 +0000

Last week Russo Partners’ West Coast office welcomed clients, analysts, researchers as well as other life science insiders to the 53^rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). This year the meeting was held a few blocks away from our West Coast office at the San Diego Convention Center from Dec. 10-13.

One of the largest professional societies focused on the understanding, treatment and prevention of blood disorders, the ASH Annual Meeting is always an excellent forum for networking and interacting with leaders in the field and discussing the latest research and therapies in development.

Russo Partners worked to support client activities at the meeting in various capacities, ranging from coordinating meetings with key contacts in the investment community to drafting news releases announcing data presentations. In addition, due to the location of the conference, we were able to coordinate networking activities for San Diego-based clients with relevant attendees.

Clients attending the conference included Ambit Biosciences, S*BIO and TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals. Ambit Biosciences gave four oral and four poster presentations highlighting preclinical and clinical studies evaluating quizartinib, a FLT3 inhibitor for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and S*BIO gave oral presentations of Phase 2 study results for the company’s lead JAK2 inhibitor, pacritinib, in patients with myelofibrosis (MF). TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals also had an oral presentation of new data on its Smac mimetic drug candidate TL32711 demonstrating that it induced apoptosis in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells, alone and in combination with chemotherapy.

Russo Partners Kicks Off JPMorgan Preparations

Russo Partners — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:13:53 +0000

The Westin St. Francis in San Francisco’s Union Square

It’s that time of year again; the chill is in the air, perhaps the first snow has fallen (depending on where you are), the holiday decorations are appearing, and that also means…it’s time to prepare for the annual JPMorgan Healthcare Conference!

One of the largest annual events in life science investing, this year JPMorgan’s 30^th Annual Healthcare Conference will be held from Jan. 9-12 at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco’s Union Square.

Last week Russo Partners kicked off our initial preparations for this year’s conference, including reaching out to the media, investors, analysts and bankers alike to determine attendance. In addition, as part of our initial outreach we were able to take steps to connect clients to relevant contacts in each of these spaces.

Are you attending this year’s JPMorgan Healthcare Conference? Do you have an interest in emerging life science companies with novel technologies, from stem cells and personalized cancer therapeutics to antibody drug conjugates?

Then feel free to contact us, and we can work to connect you with relevant companies. We look forward to speaking with you!

Supporting Client Participation at the 23rd Annual Piper Jaffray Health Care Conference

Russo Partners — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 20:25:29 +0000

Last week many of our clients were presenters and panelists at the 23^rd Annual Piper Jaffray Health Care Conference in New York City. The conference provided a forum for key industry executives, investors and professionals to provide their perspective on important issues and to discuss critical trends in the healthcare space.

Russo Partners supported our clients’ participation in multiple capacities, including preparing executives for their presentations with talking points and anticipated questions with suggested answers, as well as scheduling and coordinating meetings with the investment community. Other supportive activities included drafting teaser news releases announcing the presentations, utilizing Twitter to publicize webcasts and attending presentations to provide feedback and recommendations.

Clients presenting at Piper Jaffray included AVI BioPharma, Regulus Therapeutics, Flexion Therapeutics, GlobeImmune, Ardea Biosciences, Arena Pharmaceuticals and Alder Biopharmaceuticals.

Steve Worland, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Anadys Pharmaceuticals, participated as a thought leader on a panel discussing the recent advancements in the Hepatitis C space.

The conference featured a fireside chat presentation format, with questions and answers moderated by a Piper Jaffray analyst, providing an excellent opportunity for our clients to deliver a company overview and to address key questions from the investment community. Feel free to listen to sample webcasts of our clients’ presentations from the conference below.

Webcast of Arena Pharmaceuticals’ Presentation

Webcast of AVI BioPharma’s Presentation

Advanced Cell Technology, Leader in the Human Embryonic Stem Cell Space

Russo Partners — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:16:01 +0000

Two weeks ago our client, Advanced Cell Technology (ACT), strengthened their position as a leader in the field of embryonic stem cell research when Geron, citing economic conditions, announced that it would shift its focus to developing the company’s later-stage oncology therapeutics and no longer pursue its human embryonic stem cell (hESC) programs. Geron and ACT were the first two companies to initiate clinical trials in the United States using hESCs.

ACT recently initiated the first-ever European clinical trial using stem cells, specifically using retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) derived from hESCs to treat Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy (SMD). Additionally, the company is currently conducting two Phase 1/2 clinical trials in the United States using hESC-derived RPE cells to treat SMD and dry age-related macular degeneration, respectively.

When Russo Partners received the news that Monday morning, we immediately sprang into action, knowing this was a key opportunity for ACT to control the company’s messages surrounding Geron’s announcement when the public would want to know what implications this industry shift would have on ACT’s clinical programs. We proactively reached out to the media, securing interviews with multiple top-tier outlets, as well as financial wires, scientific magazines and trade publications.

By speaking with the media, ACT was able to communicate core messages surrounding the announcement, including emphasizing the strengths of its ongoing hESC programs and the company’s future development plans. In addition, the company was able to provide insight into Geron’s decision as well as information about the stem cell space in general.

Below are links to sample coverage we secured for ACT following Geron’s news: