Take a second look. Best of 2011.

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December 14, 2011 Sign up Forward Archive Advertise How I See It Q&A with Dr. Ron Cohen of Acorda Therapeutics Acorda Therapeutics CEO and BIO board member Dr. Ron Cohen talks about how the regulatory process can be improved to get promising drugs to patients, the continued expectation of a large wave of pharmaceutical mergers and acquisitions as well as partnerships, and the prospect for biotech innovation in 2012. A funding crisis at the FDA is making it harder for regulatory processes to keep up with advances in science, he says, and a national strategy is needed that recognizes innovation, speeds the review of applications and promotes science-based decision making. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership (12/13)      How You See It Poll: The most important factor in my company and industry's success next year will be: 26%   The economy and demand for products and services 24%   The availability of funding and investment 22%   Research and innovation 16%   The regulatory process 12%   Partnership decisions        Poll: What do you think 2012 holds for venture capital, grants and other investments in the life sciences? 44%   Increased merger-and-acquisition activity 27%   Emphasis on late-stage commercialization 15%   Emphasis on early-stage discovery 14%   A window for IPOs        Poll: The commissioner of the FDA has said the agency must advance regulatory science and be a catalyst for innovation. In 2012, what do you expect? 33%   Improvement will come, but it will take longer than a year 30%   The changes will be incremental and ineffective 16%   Investment and innovation will be greater in unregulated fields of the life sciences 14%   The push to streamline regulation will instead make the process more difficult 6%   The push to streamline regulation will bring faster approvals and clearances        Poll: What field is most likely to yield the biggest breakthrough in the coming year? 23%   Stem-cell therapies 14%   Specific disease therapies -- HIV, cancer 14%   Vaccines 12%   Someplace unexpected 10%   Genomic discoveries 8%   Advanced biofuels 8%   Agricultural biotech 7%   Gene therapy 4%   Synthetic biology        BIO Resources Unleashing the Promise of Biotechnology Biotechnology provides breakthrough products to cure disease, protect against bioterrorism, feed the hungry and clean our environment, and society has tapped just a small fraction of its potential benefits. Biotech research and development is a high-risk undertaking because of substantial startup costs, lengthy experimentation and the possibility that the technology will not prove viable. Complicating matters, regulatory review processes are not keeping up with rapidly advancing science. Learn more about a policy agenda that we believe will enable U.S. biotech companies to transform the innovative ideas of today into the realities of tomorrow.      14th Annual BIO CEO & Investor Conference The largest investor conference focused on established and emerging publicly traded biotech companies. Feb. 13 and 14 in New York. Learn more.      BIO Legislative Fly-In Day Engage with members of Congress and senior staff. April 24-25 in Washington. Learn more.      World Congress on Industrial Biotech The world's largest industrial biotech event featuring business leaders, investors and policymakers in biofuels, biobased products and renewable chemicals. April 31 to May 2 in Orlando, Fla. Learn more.      2012 BIO International Convention Connect, partner and innovate. June 18 to 21 in Boston. Learn more.        Product announcements appearing in SmartBrief are paid advertisements and do not reflect actual BIO endorsements. The news reported in SmartBrief does not necessarily reflect the official position of BIO. Most Popular Stories These are the most clicked and shared stories in BIO SmartBrief in the past year. FDA uncovers falsified research data from contractor Cetero Reuters (7/26) Research examines drugs' odds of getting FDA approval Reuters (2/14) Boston takes top spot in ranking of life sciences clusters Mass High Tech (Boston) (11/29) Merck to invest in biotech startups with $250 million venture fund In Vivo Blog (9/15), Xconomy (9/15) Expert shares 2011 forecast for the biotech industry MedCityNews.com (12/31) Sanofi CEO explains R&D strategy and investment plan American City Business Journals/Boston (4/14) Expert identifies biotechs that are likely to draw buyout bids CNBC (4/18) Sandoz is working on 10 follow-on biologics, exec says Reuters (2/9) Venter says biotech algae may lead to unlimited supply of energy The Washington Post (8/11) Samsung will join biopharma market through venture with Quintiles Reuters (2/24)      Smartest Quotes These are the most clicked and shared SmartQuotes in BIO SmartBrief in the past year. Some men have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want to, when all they need is one reason why they can. -- Willis R. Whitney, American chemist Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are. -- Malcolm Forbes, American magazine publisher Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer and scientist      Only in North Carolina can you find so many unique innovations to help heal, fuel AND feed the world. Discover NC’s complete package and why 538 companies call NC home.   This SmartBrief was created for jmabs1@gmail.com   Subscriber Tools       Update account information | Change e-mail address | Unsubscribe | Print friendly format | Web version | Search past news | Archive | Privacy policy Advertise Account Director:  Meryl Harold (202) 407-7828 Download Media Kit   Read more at SmartBrief.com A powerful website for SmartBrief readers including: Industry Home Readers' Choice Search Archive Grab our News Widget Get this RSS Feed Publish your Press Release Download a SmartBrief Mobile app today       Recent BIO SmartBrief Issues: Tuesday, December 13, 2011 Monday, December 12, 2011 Friday, December 09, 2011 Thursday, December 08, 2011 Wednesday, December 07, 2011     Lead Editor:  Tom Parks       Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004     © 1999-2011 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information