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Life Sciences Business and Marketing: Their Integral Role for Success
There are currently no sections open for enrollment.
X442.4 (1 semester unit in Business Administration)
Experienced and newer business and marketing professionals—as well as scientific, clinical, regulatory and legal professionals—can benefit from this introduction to the business and marketing aspects of the life sciences industry and how to research and develop solutions to handle its challenges. The rapidly changing bioscience industry depends on the innovation of Bay Area entrepreneurs and experienced business and marketing professionals for success. This course provides scientists, engineers and startup staff with the training and practical skills to successfully discover and create needed products.
This course includes two days of intensive classroom work and mentoring by the instructor, who is available for the balance of the term while completing the term project. Learn how to research and analyze markets and environments for making recommendations and decisions useful for all professional functions in bioscience companies. You also learn how to complete typical business and marketing assignments common to the workplace and receive templates and outlines for documents. In the process, you develop a basic understanding of the role and benefits of various business and marketing functions involved in the company’s success, including their roles spanning all stages of company and product life cycle. Gain an understanding of what makes the industry “tick” and identify challenges and opportunities critical to the success of a company and its products that might otherwise be overlooked until too late in the development process. Complete business investment analysis of a company and its technology/products of their choice for term project.
You receive a student reader with lecture slides for note taking, lists of Internet-accessible information resources and free access to otherwise paid subscription databases to assist in researching your term project.
Who Will Benefit from This Course
Experienced and newer business and marketing professionals—as well as scientific, clinical, regulatory and legal professionals—can benefit from this introduction to the important business and marketing aspects of the life sciences industry and how to research and develop solutions to handle its challenges.
Course Instructor
Audrey Erbes, Ph.D., is a global life-science business development and marketing consultant, industry educator, organization leader and public speaker who originated several bioscience business development and marketing courses at UC Berkeley Extension and UC Santa Cruz Extension. She is known for her industry blog publications on Audreysnetwork.com. Erbes has 25 years of managerial experience in the biopharmaceutical industry including executive vice president and cofounder of Kowa Research Institute, a biopharmaceutical licensing and investment subsidiary of Kowa Company Ltd., Japan. Previously, she held both U.S. and international management positions at Syntex Corp. in market research, product management, strategic marketing, and business development, with a special emphasis on Europe, Asia, Oceania and Canada.
Guest Speakers and Their Topics
Donald Holsten, Pharm D., a regulatory consultant and educator with more than 20 years of national and international experience as a senior regulatory affairs and quality assurance executive, has expertise in food, drug and biopharmaceutical, medical device and cosmetic products. He has an intimate knowledge of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval cycle and has helped prepare numerous biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies for FDA interactions and panel reviews. Holsten has held management positions at several companies, including Liposome Technology, Inc and Oclassen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. where he was director of Regulatory Affairs/Quality Assurance and director of Regulatory Affairs, respectively. Earlier in his career, Holsten held a senior level position as assistant chief, Food and Drug Branch, Department of Health Services for the State of California.
Topic: Operating in the U.S. Regulatory Environment: Is Product Approvable
Beverly Hudson, M.B.A., is the senior vice president, Business Development, Omnicomm Systems, Inc., a Web-based electronic data capture (EDC) and eClinical software and services company with products that streamline the clinical research process. Previously, she was vice president and general manager of Clinical Research Services at MedPoint Communications, Inc. and earlier ran sales and operations for Mayo Clinical Trial Services. Hudson spent eleven years at Genentech in sales and marketing management roles.
Topic: The Impact of U.S. Health Care System on Marketing Biotech Products
Julie Tompkins, M.B.A., is senior vice president at Timely Data Resources (TDR), a health care market research and consulting firm. She has more than 30 years experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech arenas, including 12 years in industry and more than 20 years in market research consulting. Tompkins has worked with pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and drug delivery systems. At Syntex (now Roche), she worked in both R&D and marketing, including positions as analytical chemist, market research analyst, manager of New Product Planning, and manager of Market Analysis. She spent most of her time in marketing as the primary liaison between marketing and R&D, serving as a key member on multidisciplinary project teams and strategic planning committees. After leaving Syntex, Tompkins was president and founder of MedSearch, a primary market research company that merged with TDR in January 2000.
Topic: The Role of Market Research in Product Planning, Development and Marketing
Course Content Outline
The Discipline of Marketing in the Bioscience Industry
- Unique bioscience industry marketing characteristics
- The core marketing functions
- Pivotal documents associated with marketing functions
- The critical role of marketing at all stages of a product’s development
Marketing Research and Analysis
- Use of market research to optimize product planning, development and marketing
- Role of market research throughout development of company and product
- Defining the objectives, planning and implementation of the research
- Types of market research and methodologies
Impact of Managed Care System on Marketing Bioscience Products
- Review health care industry trends and data that impact cost and reimbursement
- Define “who and what is the U.S. healthcare system” and how it influences the commercialization process
- Define reimbursement from Managed Care perspective
Success Parameters for Products and Companies
Dealing With Regulatory Environment and Product’s Approvability
The Role, Function, Objective of Selected Major Marketing Functions
- Business development and licensing process, contract and terms
- Product and technology opportunity assessment research and recommendation
- Strategic planning and strategic plan
- Product management and product marketing plan
- Sales and distribution
Future-Term Courses and Enrollments
Courses are offered three terms per year: spring, summer, fall. Information about upcoming courses is available when enrollment opens each term.
- Spring term: Enrollment opens in early December. Classes begin in January.
- Summer term: Enrollment opens in early April. Classes begin in June.
- Fall term: Enrollment opens in early July. Classes begin in August.
Join our email list for periodic updates about course availability.
Sections Closed for Enrollment:
Belmont, Thurs. April 19, 8:30 am, 2 meetings