Scaling Therapeutics Companies for Global Impact
On 5 March 2026, BMSIPO organised the panel event—Scaling Therapeutics Companies for Global Impact— which saw 70 attendees from Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), public health institutes, as well as the biotech and pharma industries. The session brought together a lineup of dynamic leaders and global experts whose collective expertise spans the entire biotech journey, from academic discovery to commercialisation. Together, they shared valuable insights to support biotechs aiming to navigate and expand in the international market.
Moderated expertly by Dr Chia Pei Ling, Senior Manager at BMSIPO, the event commenced with an opening address by Mr Seck Yee Kwang, Director of BMSIPO, who outlined Singapore’s ongoing commitment to the biomedical space. The global panel featured Dr Su-Peing Ng, CEO of Biocompass; Mr Jairo Pardey, General Manager of Pierre Fabre Group; Dr Lewis Hong, VP of Discovery Research at Paratus Sciences; Dr Alan Russell, VP of Large Molecule Discovery and Head of R&D Technology & Innovation at Amgen; and Dr Kevin Forrest, CEO of Reyja Bio. Drawing on their firsthand experiences, the panellists addressed common hurdles for promising biotechs as well as partnership strategies.
A notable insight was how pharma evaluates biotech partnerships. The panel emphasised that risk reduction rather than pure excitement was of key importance to pharma. To be attractive, startups must build scalable platforms that reliably decrease cycle times and uncertainty.
The conversation also highlighted the strategic integration of AI. Singapore is positioned at a unique inflection point where integrating AI into the entire drug discovery workflow can propel local biotechs to move beyond incremental innovation to become globally competitive innovators who develop groundbreaking solutions.
Furthermore, financial discipline remains paramount. Biotechs are advised to be focused in their R&D efforts while maintaining a clear target product profile to ensure resilience through challenging phases.
Beyond scientific novelty, the panellists stressed the human element of venture building. “The ability to bring together disparate ideas and disparate people is perhaps best described as people engineering instead of protein engineering,” remarked Dr Alan Russell, as he reflected on what separates global innovators from the rest. He further noted that the importance of bringing together incredibly talent to extract collective wisdom from a team.
A closing reflection encapsulated the foundational ethos of the industry. Regardless of the technology or the business model, an unwavering focus on addressing high unmet patient needs remains the fundamental element of any successful therapeutic venture.