WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) announced today that a panel of top industry executives will discuss where biotech will be in the next ten years and how the pharmaceutical industry landscape is changing. With the biotech and pharmaceutical industries facing considerable challenges but also tremendous growth opportunities, attendees can expect to gain valuable insights into the future of biotech and big pharma.

Biotech and Big Pharma Whats Next? panelists include: Moderator: Joshua Boger, PhD, Founder and CEO (Retired), Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated Panelists: Rachel K. King, Chief Executive Officer, GlycoMimetics, Inc; Christopher A. Viehbacher, Chief Executive Officer, Sanofi, Chairman, Genzyme and H. Thomas Watkins, President and Chief Executive Officer, Human Genome Sciences

Wednesdays Keynote session is sponsored by Amgen, a leading human therapeutics company in the biotechnology industry.

Immediately preceding the Keynote panel, Senator John Kerry (D-MA) will address the 2012 BIO International Convention, this years global event for biotechnology, which will take place June 18-21, 2012 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston, MA. Additionally, the Keynote will feature the presentation of awards for the Biotech Humanitarian of the Year and the Governor of the Year.

Senator Kerrys speech will address the major challenges to the life sciences innovation ecosystem. He is scheduled to speak Wednesday, June 20th at 12:00 p.m., during the Keynote luncheon.

Each year, we strive to provide attendees with a Keynote address by an industry thought leader to share their perspective on the state of the industry, said Robbi Lycett, Vice President of Conventions & Conferences at BIO. We anticipate Senator Kerry will continue this tradition and share his insights and vision for the future with our attendees.

John Kerry was elected to the United States Senate in 1984 and he has won reelection four-times since. He is now serving his fifth term. Senator Kerry has fought to protect our natural environment and has proved to be a leader on the global AIDS issue and confronting the climate crisis.

In 2003, Senator Kerry announced that he would be a candidate for President of the United States and he went on to mount a come from behind campaign that won the Democratic nomination and was nearly elected President.

Today, Senator Kerry is the tenth most senior Senator and the second longest serving Senator in his seat. He is chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee as well as holds a senior position on the Finance, Commerce and Small Business Committees.

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Panel of Top Industry Executives to Discuss Biotech and Big Pharma – What’s Next? – 2012 BIO International Convention ...