Sunday 3^rd June

Today I’m giving the keynote speech at the second Boston-Paris Biotechnology Summit – this year held in Boston. It’s an exciting time. Investment in biotech continues apace here, and the summit comes just before the huge 2018 BIO International Convention, which is back here in Boston, as well as coinciding with the 2018 ASCO congress in Chicago.

The one-day summit has a focus on collaboration between Boston and Paris – two rich ecosystems of R&D excellence – with 200 representatives of some of the brightest biotech start-ups, as well as biopharmaceutical companies like Ipsen.

I was a speaker at the inaugural summit in Paris last year, and I believe I bring a unique perspective: an American living in Paris, currently working and living on both sides of the pond. Ipsen has had its headquarters in Paris for more than 40 years, and has vibrant innovation hubs in both Paris-Saclay and Cambridge, Mass.

For Ipsen, I can see the tremendous value that our transatlantic synergy has put on the table, building bridges and an understanding of two diverse but rich bioscience ecosystems. We are building our presence in these centres, part of the community, furthering our open innovation model.

At today’s summit I will make it clear: Ipsen is open for business. We are at the cutting edge of external innovation, looking for partners in oncology, rare diseases and neuroscience. And we want to talk – whatever the language.

David Meek, Chief Executive Officer, Ipsen