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ICR Westwicke Blog

The ICR Westwicke Blog is designed to deliver information and insights into the ever-changing world of healthcare communications.

10 Ways to Prep for the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference

Posted on November 16th, 2023. Posted by

Each year, the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference provides a critical opportunity to meet with analysts, investors, and other leaders in the healthcare industry. However, making the most of the conference takes preparation.

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The JPM Healthcare Media Maze: Crafting a Winning Approach

Posted on November 14th, 2023. Posted by

Pipette adding fluid to one of several test tubes

In less than two months, seasoned investors, influential media, game changing startups and established industry giants will convene at the 42nd Annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference. Continue Reading

Top 10 Investor Relations Best Practices

Posted on September 29th, 2023. Posted by

Investor Relations

Properly positioning your story within the investment community can help you build a quality, long-term shareholder base and enhance equity market value. To develop an effective investor relations strategy, you must understand how to best interact with investors, stay visible, and adapt to deliver both good news and bad.

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Maintaining a “Future IPO” Mindset in Health and Life Sciences

Posted on July 31st, 2023. Posted by

Mature financial analyst telling company development strategy on presentation using computer technology

In 2019, I wrote a piece on Why You Need an IPO Communications Strategy Well Before the IPO.  That was before a pandemic, during which time the healthcare industry experienced a breakthrough year of SPACs and IPOs, only to be followed by an austere 18+ months of market uncertainty.  Add rising interest rates and a tough fundraising environment, and going public is now often a conversation that stays on the shelf.  But the outlook may be looking brighter and the life sciences industry is showing a heartbeat.

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Why Some Companies Don’t Provide Guidance — and Why You Should

Posted on June 26th, 2023. Posted by

Guidance_Westwicke-Partners

Some management teams assume — incorrectly — that they can play it safe by withholding financial guidance, believing they can’t miss estimates they don’t provide. To the contrary, companies may inadvertently limit their Street credibility by opting out of earnings forecasts and, at the same time, miss an opportunity to manage investor expectations.

Investors judge financial results against analysts’ consensus estimates even if a company doesn’t provide projection, so it makes sense for leadership to set expectations themselves and provide some guardrails. Perhaps more importantly, formal earnings guidance signals management’s confidence in the company’s growth and stability.

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Don’t Be Caught Unprepared: How to Develop a Crisis Communications Plan

Posted on June 20th, 2023. Posted by

Planning, serious and crisis with business people in meeting for idea, documents and negotiation. Collaboration, data and leadership with employees in office for project management and brainstorming

Any company, no matter how diligent, can find itself suddenly thrust into a crisis due to internal or external factors. Incidents ranging from a product safety recall to a downturn in industry funding or worldwide health emergency have the potential to disrupt operations or threaten a company’s reputation. Stakeholders, whether customers, shareholders, partners or employees, will want to know immediately what happened and how it affects them. In today’s age of social media and instantaneous digital communication, companies need to be prepared to address a crisis immediately before someone else defines what it means for their stakeholders.

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Get the Most Out of the ASCO Annual Meeting: 10 Tips

Posted on May 18th, 2023. Posted by

group of businesspeople having an informal office meeting

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting provides a unique opportunity to connect with oncology professionals, major media outlets, and other industry representatives from across the globe. It’s undeniably one of the most important conferences for the oncology community every year.

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The Value of Choosing the Right Healthcare Communications Partner

Posted on April 26th, 2023. Posted by

Woman doctor shaking hand with businessman in office

In a search for a healthcare communications partner, one public relations agency’s proposal begins to look just like another’s. Smiling headshots, decades of experience, strong communications skills, great media relations programs, all promising great results for a low fee. With so many similarities, how are you supposed to know which one is the best fit for your company?

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Do You Have a Review Process for Public Communication?

Posted on April 4th, 2023. Posted by

Because investor relations and public relations do not have the same audience, the same objectives, and often do not report to the same supervisor within a given company, they frequently work in isolated silos with limited interaction. But there is a need for collaboration between the information “silos” that exist within some organizations, especially in publicly traded companies and private companies preparing for an IPO. For these types of companies, it’s important to establish — and stick to — an internal control process for issuing public information.

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How SVB’s Fall Could Impact Healthcare Innovation

Posted on March 21st, 2023. Posted by

Scientist wearing face mask and analyzing chemicals in medical research laboratory

While SVB was the 16th largest U.S. bank and second-largest bank failure in U.S. history before it closed last week, those numbers don’t tell the whole story.

SVB was the bank for tech, biotech, digital health companies and venture capital firms, banking with nearly half of U.S. venture-backed healthcare and tech IPOs, as well as nearly half of venture-backed tech and life sciences companies. It was popular with startups and venture funds because it can be more difficult for early-stage companies to get loans from larger, more established banks. SVB made a point of being seen as a friendly lender to innovative companies.

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