With a boost provided by the JOBS Act and a number of recent successful IPOs in the industry, the IPO window remains open for life sciences companies. Before embarking on the IPO journey, however, companies need to understand the legal and market issues involved, many of which are unique to the industry.

Panelists from WilmerHale, Leerink Swann and Ernst & Young will be joined by the CEO of Merrimack Pharmaceuticals (which successfully completed an IPO this spring) to discuss:

• current and anticipated life sciences IPO market conditions;
• common characteristics of successful life sciences IPOs;
• tips for avoiding pitfalls often encountered in life sciences IPOs;
• the impact of the JOBS Act;
• alternative "going public" structures; and
• the experiences of life sciences companies that have recently gone public.

Please join us for this timely and informative event, highlighting IPO trends and issues specific to the life sciences industry. Each pre-IPO company in attendance will receive a complimentary copy of the new edition of WilmerHale's acclaimed book Initial Public Offerings: A Practical Guide to Going Public, hitting shelves in late 2012.