Exclusive Interview with Merck & Co.
January 2008
Exclusive Interview with Merck & Co.
Interview with Barbara Yanni
Exclusive Interview with Merck & Co.
In this exclusive interview, live from San Francisco, Fintan Walton talks to Barbara Yanni, Vice President and Chief Licensing Officer at Merck & Co. Although Merck is often perceived as being internally focused and has, historically at least, not been known for doing deals, the company is now fully committed to partnering. Its pipeline is strong, with seven compounds in Phase III, of which three were in-licensed during 2007. Barbara and Fintan discuss the methods that Merck uses to source new licensing opportunities, how it competes with other big pharmas and how its alliances are managed. They also look ahead to what 2008 is likely to bring to the pharma/biotech industry.
About Barbara Yanni
Barbara Yanni is Vice President and Chief Licensing Officer of Merck & Co. After joining the company in 1985 as Domestic Tax Counsel, she now leads the Corporate Licensing group responsible for negotiating agreements to acquire compounds, programmes and new technologies. Before joining Corporate Licensing, Barbara was Executive Director of Corporate Development at Merck, where she negotiated acquisitions, divestitures and other business arrangements. She graduated from Stanford Law School and Wellesley College, and holds a Masters of Law in Taxation from New York University.
About Merck & Co.
Merck & Co. is a global research-driven pharmaceutical company. Established in 1891, Merck discovers, develops, manufactures and markets vaccines and medicines to address unmet medical needs. Today, Merck has more new medicines and product candidates in its pipeline than at any other time in its history. Current research and development focuses on a range of therapeutic areas, including arthritis, diabetes, infectious disease and neurological disorders.
