“US And China Together Can Dramatically Improve Human Health”

Katherine Andersen, serving as the Head of Life Science & Healthcare Relationship Banking at the US based Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), recently participated in the BIO Asia-Taiwan Conference 2019 held in Taiwan from July 24 to 28. She was a part of the plenary session focusing on the global development of biotechnology. BioSpectrum Asia interacted with her during the event to find out more about her views on the growth and challenges of the Life Science and Healthcare industry in Asia. Edited excerpts;

- Dr Manbeena Chawla

How does SVB contribute to the growth of the life sciences & healthcare industry?

SVB operates at the intersection of innovation and capital. Our team is focused on delivering meaningful, proprietary insights to help our clients inform their strategic decisions. Our capital solutions allow our clients to optimize their growth – whether it’s getting access to extra runway to their next critical inflection point or financing to help consummate an acquisition. Case in point, of our more than 2,900 Life Science and Healthcare clients in the U.S., approximately 400 are U.S. public companies with more than 70 of those having a market cap in excess of $1 billion. Our unparalleled reach and influence across the ecosystem also allows us to bring a unique perspective to our client discussions – whether we’re discussing financing solutions and our wide breadth of debt products, liquidity management, hedging strategies, or general domestic and/or international banking options.

What are the major challenges facing this industry globally?