Convergence of traditional markets and technological platforms is forcing big pharma and big biopharma companies to compete head-to-head in forming alliances with small biotech companies that now account for a growing share of new drugs in clinical trials. As the level of collaboration increases, alliance formation is becoming more complex. In order to better understand the emerging trends around alliance formation, Deloitte Research recently surveyed a variety of biotech and pharmaceutical companies in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Japan. Survey questions and key findings focused on five broad areas:

• Underlying factors driving alliance trends,
• Types of alliances now being sought;
• Attributes of “preferred” partners;
• Trends in the business development capabilities of biotech companies;
• The impact of geographic differences on regional alliance strategies.

The most immediate implications of these findings are to illustrate how patterns of alliance formation change as biotech companies mature and to emphasize that creating winning strategies for deal-making in the future will depend critically on understanding the needs of potential partners at various stages of development.

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