The Evolution of the Pharma and Biotech Industry in the 21st Century

The development of the pharmaceutical and the emergence of the biotechnology industries have provided a disruptive change to society, primarily in a positive, but many times in a negatively perceived manner. The positive and negative aspects will be explored with industry and academia leaders who will discuss these challenges in EMBCA’s “The Evolution of the Pharma and Biotech Industry in the 21st Century Panel Discussion”. The illustrious panel , in formation , will include panel Moderator Sotirios G. Stergiopoulos MD, FACP President & CEO at A2A Pharmaceuticals, and panelists Dr. Eleni Andreopoulou, Medical Oncologist; Dr. Stelios Papadopoulos, Chairman of Biogen and EXElixis Pharma Companies; and Dr. Tania Small, Head of Oncology Franchise, GSK.

The Pharmaceutical industry has gone from antibiotics and specialty lotions to highly scientific driven therapies and have provided a significant improvement in the lives of patients suffering from the multiple illnesses known. While this is a huge success for patients and companies and their shareholders as well, the challenges are increasing and making it more and more difficult to keep up. The Pharmaceutical industry relies on innovation, which is driven by science. But, for the most part, science is lagging. This is a consequence of lack of proper funding which has become the major hurdle for most advancement in the sciences, money! As can be expected this brings significant frustration which is usually aimed at the Pharmaceutical industry. The development of new and innovative therapies is the constant demand of society, but with hurdles such as FDA, Payor systems, and challenging relationships with academia and overall societies perception play a big role in the shaping and evolution of the Pharmaceutical Industry.

Dr. Sotirios G. Stergiopoulos


Dr. Sotirios G. Stergiopoulos is a Physician Executive with leading expertise in the field of pharmaceutical biotechnology especially in Oncology. He holds appointment of President and Chief Executive Officer of A2A Pharmaceuticals and maintains a seat on the Board of Directors. He has held the position as Founder and Chairman of the Board since 2016. Dr. Stergiopoulos is a Director on the Board of Directors of Ricovr Healthcare.

Dr. Stergiopoulos previous experience includes Chief Medical Officer and SVP and Head of Global Medical Affairs at Ipsen and leading roles in Oncology R&D in companies such as Bayer, Celgene and Novartis. He has held appointments as an Attending Physician and trained in institutions such as Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and the National Institutes of Health. He earned a master’s in biotechnology enterprise and entrepreneurship (MBEE) from The Johns Hopkins University and a Medical Degree from Poznan University of Medical Sciences (Poland). Dr. Stergiopoulos has been elected a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine as well as the Fellow Royal Society of Medicine (UK) and Sigma Xi Research Honor Society. He is also a Member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Dr. Stergiopoulos has held the role of Chairman of Scholarships for the Hellenic Medical Society since 2016 as well as Chairman of Medical Scholarships for the Order of AHEPA, Delphi Chapetr No. 25.

Dr. Stergiopoulos has been awarded by the American Cancer Society (ACS) for his “Longstanding Dedeciation and Commitment to Fighting Cancer.”

Dr. Eleni Andreopoulou


Dr. Eleni Andreopoulou is an Associate Professor of Medicine and the Director of Breast Cancer Clinical Research at Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital where she specializes in the personalized multidisciplinary care and treatment of patients with breast cancer. She is also a member of the Englander Institute for Precision Medicine at Cornell. She previously held faculty positions at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine/ Montefiore Medical Center and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Andreopoulou completed her training in major academic institutions in both Europe and the U.S., including St Bartholomew’s Hospital and the Royal Marsden Hospital/Institute of Cancer Research in London, UK and the New York University School of Medicine. She was a European Society of Medical Oncology fellow. She was also awarded the Calabresi Scholarship in mentored cancer therapeutics, in recognition of her background and interests in translation clinical research. Dr. Andreopoulou has a special interest in individualization of patient treatment and particularly in caring for women with aggressive breast cancer. Her main research interest involves precision medicine to fast-track the drug development of biologics and targeted therapy that exploit our knowledge of the cancer genome and the immuno cell network for immunotherapy in order to effectively manage, treat and cure breast cancer. She is involved with all phases of clinical drug development and especially focuses on innovative preoperative clinical trial design that incorporates cutting-edge technology. Dr. Andreopoulou’s research involves projects focused on pharmacogenomics predictors of response to treatment for early and advanced stage breast cancer. Dr Andreopoulou is an active investigator of several clinical trials of novel therapeutic approaches in advanced disease, including her leadership role as a principal investigator in the development of drugs sponsored by the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program at the NCI. Dr. Andreopoulou actively facilitates the interface between basic and applied research at Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine. She leads a multidisciplinary, prospective breast cancer bio-bank to provide a crucial foundation for precision medicine research. Dr. Andreopoulou has also been active with breast cancer awareness programs covering screening and prevention with a particular focus in serving underserved minorities in the local area. She has published several peer-reviewed articles, reviews, editorials and book chapters. She is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Association of Cancer Research, the American Women`s Medical Association the Royal Society of Medicine in England and the European Society of Medical Oncology.
Dr. Stelios Papadopoulos


Dr. Stelios Papadopoulos is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Biogen, Inc., Exelixis, Inc., and Regulus Therapeutics, Inc. He is a co-founder of Exelixis, Inc. as well as co-founder and former Chairman of Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (acquired by Hoffman – La Roche in 2011) and Cellzome, Inc. (acquired by GlaxoSmithKline in 2012). In the not-for-profit sector, Dr. Papadopoulos is co-founder and Chairman of Fondation Santé (www.fondationsante.org), a member of the Board of Visitors of Duke Health, and a member of the Global Advisory Board of the Duke Institute for Health Innovation.

Dr. Stelios Papadopoulos retired as Vice Chairman of Cowen & Co., LLC in 2006 after six years with the firm where as an investment banker he focused on the biotech and pharma sectors. Prior to joining Cowen, he spent 13 years as an investment banker at PaineWebber, Incorporated where he was most recently Chairman of PaineWebber Development Corp., a PaineWebber subsidiary focusing on biotechnology. He joined PaineWebber in 1987 from Drexel Burnham Lambert where he was an analyst in the Equity Research Department covering the biotechnology industry. Prior to Drexel, he was the biotechnology analyst of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. For his work as an equity analyst he was elected in the Institutional Investor 1987 All America Research Team. He has also received multiple honors and awards for his work in the biopharma industry as a company founder, advisor and financier.

Before coming to Wall Street, Dr. Papadopoulos was on the faculty of the Department of Cell Biology at New York University School of Medicine. Dr. Papadopoulos holds an M.S. in physics, a Ph.D. in biophysics and an M.B.A. in finance, all from New York University.

Dr. Tania Small


Dr. Tania Small is the Vice President of Global Medical Oncology at GSK, where she oversees all aspects of medical affairs for Oncology. She joined GSK in 2018 from Ipsen Bioscience where she was VP of Oncology Global Drug Development. She previously served as Senior Medical Director for clinical development and medical affairs at Novartis. A board-certified pediatrician, Small is a pediatric hematology, oncology and bone marrow transplant specialist with deep experience in clinical research and drug development. She has done research in oncology, hematology, gene therapy and stem cell transplantation, receiving NIH grants for her translational research in gene therapy and regenerative medicine. Not only has Small successfully led the launch programs of multiple oncology therapies, she has also led many patient-centered and diversity initiatives. She is passionate about revolutionizing the experience and outcomes for people with cancer and will continue driving innovative approaches to research and development until we get there.

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