Small life sciences firms head to Newark to meet big pharma

It’s the second year for the conference, designed to expand pharmaceutical contracting opportunities for woman, minority, veteran, disabled and LGBT-owned small businesses.

Mayor Cory Booker will address the conference at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, followed by Earvin “Magic” Johnson at 12:30 p.m. The conference, which will be held at the Newark Airport Marriott Hotel, runs Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Wednesday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Among the global pharmaceutical giants attending the conference to connect with diverse suppliers are Johnson & Johnson, Wyeth, Schering-Plough, Novartis, Merck, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi-Aventis, Abbott, Eli Lilly, and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

Alison Macpherson, president of Bright Pharmaceutical Services of Sherman Oaks, Calif., and a board member of the Diversity Alliance for Science, said small companies throughout the country will attend the two-day conference, held in New Jersey because of the state’s concentration of big pharma companies.

“A lot of these big companies are looking for partners to fill their diverse supplier mission,” Macpherson said, adding many of these big companies do business with the federal government, which has diversity goals these companies must meet. Small companies who attend meet individually with buyers from big firms; Macpherson, whose company does clinical trial work, said she came away from last year’s session with an opportunity to bid for business. “This is a way to meet personally with companies specifically looking for diverse suppliers. “

Among the small businesses that attend are those that do contract research, staffing, data management and medical writing, she said.

The dollars spent by big pharma on outsourcing to small companies is in the billions, Macpherson said. While the recession has hurt the pharmaceutical industry, some sectors are less affected; Macpherson said she continues to see strong demand for clinical trial outsourcing.

The conference is held at the airport to accommodate representatives of small companies flying in from around the country. There are more people coming from outside New Jersey than from inside the state, she said. “New Jersey is the logical place — right in the middle of the Eastern seaboard pharma belt.”

Attendance is higher this year than last, despite the recession’s impact on travel budgets, “which is a testament to the fact that this is a very important initiative for companies to expand their diverse supplier network.”