Toward JP Morgan 2016: Pharm Exec's Top Tweets

Just because you aren’t able to make the trip next week, doesn’t mean you can’t stay current on the news coming out of the Westin St. Francis Hotel, or the gossip circulating across the street at San Francisco’s Union Square, weather permitting. We’ll keep an eye on the one of the healthcare industry’s biggest weeks on Twitter with regular updates here.

Update - Fri Jan 8^th, 6pm

Monday’s front page is a big one if you can get it. As Ron Leuty (@rleuty_biotech) writes, there is substantial competition to start JP Morgan off as the topic of discussion over Monday morning's coffee.

Why the #biotech news crush before #JPM16? https://t.co/5ZRgTgXcHipic.twitter.com/YgHMur8kEO

- Ron Leuty (@rleuty_biotech) January 7, 2016

There is consensus that Shire’s CEO Flemming Ornskov is gunning for the top of the fold with the ~$32.5 billion acquisition of Baxalta.

Baxalta, Shire to announce merger deal as soon as Monday, Reuters

- Douglas Kass (@DougKass) January 7, 2016

Sounds like Flemming wants to get the $BXLT deal done before #JPM16 just like he wanted the $NPSP deal done before last year.

- Brad Loncar (@bradloncar) December 22, 2015

. @bradloncar At this point, who cares? Announcing $SHPGY takeout of $BXLT Monday will be a shrug, “we knew already” event for #JPM16

- Adam Feuerstein (@adamfeuerstein) January 7, 2016

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Friday January 8: Going in, what are the biggest stories? As in years past, leading up to the conference, some investors like @bradloncar are calling for a democratization of the conference - to “level the playing field for small investors” by making whole presentations publically available, rather than just their scripted portions. The public shaming had some success in the past. We’ll see about this year.

Why private biotech investor @bradloncar wants to ‘free the webcast’ at next week's JP Morgan conference #JPM16https://t.co/HrwPZ4QUW6

- Don Seiffert (@BosBizDon) January 4, 2016

A new name for the event that has grown out of the conference, and certainly out of the confines of the fire hazard that is the Westin St. Francis?

Should the HC industry rename the annual exodus to San Francisco given that #JPM16 is far beyond JP Morgan the bank?

- Daphne Zohar (@daphnezohar) January 6, 2016

@DennisJPurcell Yes! does anyone actually go to "JPM"? Or do we just all hang out in Union Square?

- Steven Dickman (@cbtadvisors) January 6, 2016

A call for fewer catchphrases

Can we ban the words "innovative" and "unmet need" at #JPM16, so companies have to explain what they do w/o handwaving?

- Caroline Chen (@CarolineYLChen) January 6, 2016