Table of Contents:

BioPortUSA Launches Novel Commercialization Accelerator

Best Practices for Entering the U.S. Market

7 Tips for Surviving a Large Trade Show

Ashton Tweed Collaborates with Melmark

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure

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BIO 2007 International Convention Special Edition

BioPortUSA Launches Novel Commercialization Accelerator at BIO 2007 in Boston

We are pleased to announce the official launch of BioPortUSA on May 7, 2007 at the BIO 2007 International Convention in Boston. James K. Laird, Ashton Tweed partner and CEO of BioPortUSA, introduced a new commercialization accelerator that targets foreign life sciences companies wishing to establish a business presence in the U.S. market. BioPortUSA offers these companies access to U.S. market industry experts that first, undertake a comprehensive assessment of their readiness to enter the U.S. market; second, develop a highly customized commercialization plan; and third, implement some or all of the plan recommendations to assure efficient and effective market entry.

“BioPortUSA simplifies the U.S. market entry process and helps foreign companies navigate the changing FDA regulatory environment, as well as the legal, tax, immigration and commercialization requirements that they will face in establishing a U.S. business presence. By engaging BioPortUSA, client companies access a menu of core professional services all in one place that will enable them to correctly determine their early investment and accelerate the commercialization process for their product lines,” said BioPortUSA CEO James K. Laird.

In partnership with an elite group of U.S. based professional service firms all with international reach, BioPortUSA is able to aggregate all the service requirements of life sciences firms entering the U.S. market. Current BioPortUSA partners include:

• Amper, Politziner & Mattia (accounting, tax & audit)
• Ashton Tweed (executive recruiting and commercialization management consulting)
• Cushman & Wakefield (biotechnology specific real estate support)
• Morgan, Lewis & Bockius (legal)
• PharmaNet Development Group (clinical drug development and regulatory consulting services)
• Wachovia Insurance Services (insurance broker).

All of these partner companies were represented at the BIO 2007 International Convention where they supported their participation in BioPortUSA.

BioPortUSA services are well-suited for funded life sciences firms with therapeutics (drug compounds or biologics), medical devices, diagnostics, or platform technologies well advanced in their clinical programs or launched in their respective domestic market. By outsourcing commercialization services to professionals who are experienced in and knowledgeable of the U.S. market, companies can operate as a virtual company for a longer period of time thereby reducing operational costs and accelerating the time-to-market process.

BioPortUSA is headquartered in Wayne, PA. BioPortUSA’s launch was covered in the Philadelphia Business Journal. For more information on BioPortUSA’s services, please visit www.BioPortUSA.com.

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BioPortUSA is the premier source for the range of commercialization services that foreign companies will need when planning to enter into the U.S. market.

By outsourcing many of these services to professionals who are experienced in and knowledgeable of the U.S. market, these companies can operate as a virtual company for a longer period of time which reduces operational costs and accelerates the time-to-market.

A key strength of BioPortUSA is that it aggregates the services of different types of providers into one place and offers U.S. market entry guidance by the most talented professionals with current industry experience.

The BioPortUSA services address the entire need requirements of foreign-based companies.

Ashton Tweed Partners Discuss Best Practices for Entering the U.S. Market at BIO 2007

James K. Laird, CEO of BioPortUSA, moderated the Coming to America: Establishing a Business Presence in the United States panel on May 9, 2007 at the BIO International Convention in Boston. Speakers at the session included Jordan Warshafsky, MBA, Partner, Ashton Tweed, Ltd.; Manya Deehr, JD, Chief Legal Officer, Eurand, Inc.; Giorgio Mosconi, MD, PhD, Chief Operating Officer, Acureon Pharma, and William Ashton, MA, President, Harrison Consulting Group.

The panel discussed fundamental questions the management of foreign companies entering the U.S. market must address concerning their prospective U.S. affiliates - where to locate their headquarters, what legal corporate structure to select and how to navigate complex issues related to immigration law, tax regulations and regulatory agencies. Using a case study format, the speakers provided a road map to a successful landing in the United States.

The session benefited foreign attendees by identifying the key legal and business decision points in transitioning to the U.S. market. Panelists explored common mistakes companies have made in expanding businesses into this critical market. The session also provided a popular question and answer forum for attendees to discuss their own expansion into the United States with the expert panel.

Stay tuned for further information on the session and presentation which will be available at www.BioPortUSA.com.

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The ASHTON TWEED DIFFERENCE

Immediate access to highly skilled talent — our Executive Talent Bank is the first dedicated to the Life Sciences Industry.

Diverse range of options for human capital and commercialization management needs — include interim talent, retained executive search and commercialization consulting.

Significant Life Sciences Industry experience — our partners have diverse backgrounds in the Life Sciences Industry and understand the specific challenges Life Sciences clients face.

Personal attention — each client and candidate receives personal attention by a member of our Leadership Team.

7 Tips for Surviving a Large Trade Show

By Jim Rudman, James Laird and Jordan Warshafsky

Our experience at this year’s BIO 2007 International Convention reminded us of the true benefit of advanced planning. Trying to navigate a conference attended by a record 22,366 national and international guests can be daunting so we are sharing some of our lessons learned.

1. Plan meetings in advance of the conference. We took advantage of BIO’s online meeting planner system, Smartbooth. We used Smartbooth to identify and reach out to leads and set up meetings during the show. The system really let us get a head start on planning meetings and gave us time to learn about the companies we were meeting with to maximize our conversations.
2. Attend select company or state sponsored receptions. The receptions sponsored by organizations other than the conference organizer provided a good way to mingle with attendees in a relaxed environment. The private receptions were a great way to step away from the crowd and hold meaningful conversations with peers.
3. Visit the show’s official press room and get a copy of the registered media list. If your company has prepared an announcement, BIO is a good opportunity to send out a press release and gain exposure to the pool of reporters covering the BIO conference. The registered media list available from the BIO 2007 organizers is a great future resource of media contacts that cover our issues and would be directly interested in our stories.
4. Ship materials in advance. We didn’t have a ton of materials to send but just enough so that we couldn’t carry them into the show ourselves. The show’s official shipper was easy to work with and our boxes were waiting for us in exactly the right location when we arrived.
5. Become a presenter or panelist. Jim Laird and Jordan Warshafsky both were on the Coming to America: Establishing a Business Presence in the United States panel. The panel was an excellent opportunity to share knowledge and expertise and meet contacts for future partnerships.
6. When possible, join a state or regional pavilion. Ashton Tweed, along with 40 other organizations, participated in the Pennsylvania Pavilion. The PA Pavilion provided easy-to-find meeting space for our contacts and gave us an official presence at the convention. Representatives of the other pavilion member organizations were available to distribute and collect information for us, so that if contacts missed us in person we could connect with them later at the show.
7. Follow up is the real key to convention success. Carve out some time on your schedule after the conference concludes and dedicate it to following up with your new contacts. Scheduling this time in advance will ensure the important post-conference follow up does not fall by the wayside and that you can contact every person you met within a week or two.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

BioPharmaceutical Investment Strategies - May 22-23, 2007 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

BioPharmaceutical Investment Strategies offers a place to meet executives from Pharma, biotechs and the financial community to explore ways to optimize licensing, business deal-making and commercialization practices.

Topics covered include:

1. Financial Metrics   to determine   Attractive   Collaborations

2. Beyond Venture   Capital - Alternative
  Funding Strategies

3. Outsourcing:   Making the Virtual   Integrated Model   Work

4. Why Healthcare   Costs Matter to Deal   Makers

For more details, please visit the event website.

Ashton Tweed Collaborates with Melmark

With conference season in full swing, many companies are busily preparing their marketing strategies for events like BIO 2007. Marketing departments work to develop attractive materials and then must deal with the practical concerns of collating them and preparing them to be shipped. There is an alternative to tasking your marketing team or a corps of interns with collating all those materials. An organization in our own backyard is happy to help.

Melmark, (www.melmark.org) located in Berwyn, PA, is a comprehensive multi- service provider of residential, educational, therapeutic, and recreational services for children and adults with developmental disabilities including autism spectrum disorders, acquired brain injury, other neurological and genetic disorders, and related challenging behaviors. Melmark’s Adult Day Program participants are available to help businesses with tasks like material collation and also volunteer for local churches and charitable organizations, help collect recycled goods, take field trips, and practice prevocational skills through shopping, banking, and using the public library.

In advance of the BIO 2007 International Convention, Adult Day Program participants helped Ashton Tweed collate 800 marketing folders for our use in Boston. To better understand the scope of Melmark’s mission and say thank you for the excellent help, Ashton Tweed partners James Laird, Jim Rudman and Jordan Warshafsky visited the Melmark Adult Day Program.

The wonderful tour, guided by Melmark’s President and CEO Dr. Joanne Gillis-Donovan, gave the partners insight into the large scope of Melmark’s programs and the incredible work of the staff and students. Ashton Tweed partners first learned about Melmark at the First Annual Hubert J. Schoemaker Memorial Golf Classic held October 30, 2006 which raised over $320,000 for the organization.

“It’s impressive to see the range of programs Melmark offers. Around every corner were students and teachers doing amazing work. Visiting Melmark was a fantastic opportunity to meet students, teachers, and participants in the Adult Day Program and we were touched by the spirit of enthusiasm for the organization and the commitment of the staff. We are grateful to them for sharing their time with us and telling us about their work. The experience of working with Melmark has been beneficial to both organizations” said partner Jim Rudman.

To learn more about Melmark and working with the Adult Day Program, please contact Jim Powers, JimPowers@melmark.org, 610-325-4913.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

BIO VentureForum East 2007 - June 18-20, 2007 Marriott Chateau Champlain, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), in partnership with 11 state biotechnology associations and BIOTECanada will bring venture capitalists together with promising seed, early- and late-stage private biotechnology product and platform companies from the East Coast.

The conference will showcase up to 100 individual company presentations to leading North American venture capital firms in the life sciences field. In addition, there will be workshops and plenary sessions and formal and informal networking opportunities with industry CEOs and venture capital leaders.

For more information on this event, please visit the event website.

Joyce Christian of Ashton Tweed Participates in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure

On May 13, Joyce Christian, Ashton Tweed Manager of Administration, joined with 14,965 Philadelphia participants in the Susan Komen Race for the Cure. The event is a Mothers’ Day tradition funding breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment. The event combines a 5K Run/Walk or a one-mile Fun Walk.

Seventy-five percent of the money raised by the Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure® stays in the Philadelphia community for education, screening and treatment. The remaining twenty-five percent goes towards national research, a portion of which is dedicated via Susan G. Komen for the Cure Award and Research Grants to local area hospitals.

Twenty-five years after its founding, Komen for the Cure is the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure, the foundation has invested nearly $1 billion, making it the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world.

To learn more about the Philadelphia Race for the Cure, please visit http://www.phillyraceforthecure.org/.

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