/EINPresswire.com/ -- NEWTON, MA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/15/16 -- Questex, a leading global business information and events company, today announced the debut of FierceBiotech Drug Development Forum, which will bring together leading pharmaceutical and biotech professionals for an exclusive discussion about the latest challenges, trends and innovations in drug discovery, research and development.

The inaugural event, to be held Sept. 19-21 at the InterContinental Boston, is expected to draw more than 250 industry participants including more than 85 speakers, senior industry leaders, investors and representatives of academia and research organizations, who will come together to address the challenges of building, financing and developing research and development pipelines.

Questex is building on the success of its global pharmaceutical, life-sciences and health-care businesses with the launch of this first-of-its-kind forum and the recent acquisition of ExL Events, formerly ExL Pharma.

"We pioneered Questex's highly successful life sciences and health-care category with the acquisition of FierceMarkets in 2008,"said Kerry Gumas, Questex president and chief executive officer. "The addition of ExL to our portfolio complements the resources, services and capabilities that FierceBiotech brings to the Drug Development Forum."

FierceBiotech and FiercePharma are "the fastest-growing titles in the Questex portfolio in terms of audience growth, revenue and margins over the last several years," he said.

The FierceBiotech Drug Development Forum is co-organized by FierceBiotech, the biotech market's highly regarded media and news outlet, and ExL Events, a division of Questex and the industry leader in developing innovative, educational conferences that serve the pharmaceutical, life-science and health-care communities.

Bryon Main, president & chief executive officer of ExL Events, which produces more than 70 annual events globally, said ExL has "served the informational and networking needs of the rapidly evolving global health-care and pharmaceutical sectors through high-quality conferences for over 12 years," adding: "We look forward to working together to deliver topical information, interactive networking opportunities and innovation to this important event."

Rebecca Willumson, publisher of FierceBiotech, said the FierceBiotech Drug Development Forum has been "years in the making" and will tap into some of the sector's top thought leaders to "dig into the real issues" facing the industry.

"This event will continue with Questex's tradition of delivering a strong educational and networking program that will provide delegates with rich opportunities to strategize on key issues that drive research, process improvements, solutions and strategies," she said. "Our primary objective is to build a world-class program for the industry, by the industry, and we've done so by working hand in glove with readers and key industry leaders."

The conference program, supported by a prestigious advisory board of industry leaders that helped shape its content, will focus on three distinct tracks: research and development, partnering and deals and outsourcing.

A robust lineup of distinguished speakers will lead interactive panel discussions, educational seminars, keynote addresses and general sessions. A dedicated networking exhibit area will showcase top companies, vendors and service providers in drug discovery and development.

C-suite executives expected to attend the event include those involved in clinical operations, clinical research, clinical trial management, laboratory research and development, regulations, operations, executive management, strategy, sourcing, data management, innovation and investment.

Boston, a biotech industry hub that is near Questex's headquarters in Newton, was the ideal venue to launch the new event, according to Gumas. The city is a "biotech cluster with a host of large established pharmaceuticals and biotech-focused research institutions and start-ups," he said. "We could not be more excited to bring this event to the great city of Boston."

Participating companies include Shire, Genzyme, Takeda, Astellas, AstraZeneca and Pfizer, among others. For more information or to register, visit www.fiercedrugdevforum.com/attend.

About Questex

Questex is a leading global business information and events company serving corporate and government clients and industries that are driving economic growth and business innovation around the world.

The company drives business investment, innovation and demand-creation in the markets it serves by bringing together investors, buyers, sellers and professionals through its over 120 trade shows, conferences and other business events, informing them through more than 100 business media and information products and supporting clients with a comprehensive platform of marketing solutions. Questex's industry-focused business units include Life Sciences & Healthcare, Hospitality & Travel, Beauty & Wellness, Technology & Telecom groups.

The FierceBiotech Drug Development Forum is produced by Questex, owner of ExL Events LLC and FierceBiotech. FierceBiotech is the biotech industry's daily monitor, an email newsletter and web resource providing the latest biotech news, articles and resources related to clinical trials, drug discovery, FDA approval, FDA regulation, patent news, pharma news, biotech company news and more. More than 150,000 top biotech professionals rely on FierceBiotech for an insider briefing on the day's top stories. Learn more at www.fiercebiotech.com.

ExL Events develops engaging, content-driven conferences and partnered events for dynamic industry audiences, including pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, diagnostic and contract-research organizations; hospital networks; physicians; communications organizations; and others. For more information, visit www.exlevents.com.

Questex is headquartered in Newton, Massachusetts. The company employs over 350 dedicated professional staff members, who are located in offices throughout the United States, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. For more information, visit www.questex.com.

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