The FDA Becomes More Social

Last week the FDA issued draft guidance for social media marketing guidelines for pharmaceutical companies.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The draft guidance focuses heavily on how to proceed when receiving an off label request, such as when a consumer asks for information about using a drug for an indication for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

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

Last week Russo Partners’ West Coast office welcomed clients, analysts, researchers as well as other life science insiders to the 53rd 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

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 30th 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

Last week many of our clients were presenters and panelists at the 23rd 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

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:

New York Times

AFP

Bloomberg

The Scientist

Inviting the Media to Life Sciences Summit 2011

Interested in bringing novel therapeutics to patients? Want to discuss more efficient ways to develop drugs?

Then the Life Sciences Summit 2011 was the conference for you.

Held in New York last week, the conference was a forum for key opinion leaders from industry, academia, medical research foundations and other major stakeholders to explore new paradigms of drug development, examine barriers to success and to discuss strategies for improving efficiency and productivity in therapeutic development.

Russo Partners’ objective was to raise awareness of the conference in the media community, a task we were happy to undertake.

Our first step was to develop a media advisory describing the event, as well as potential sources in attendance, and then to distribute the document to select media contacts. Russo Partners continued working to facilitate connections between the media and attendees, both in advance of and during the conference.

We are pleased to report that the conference was well attended by both media and companies alike, and we are looking forward to assisting Life Sciences Summit in their media outreach next year.