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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.

Is the Biotech IPO Market Coming Back? How to Prepare

Posted on August 23rd, 2022. Posted by

Lab worker looking into microscope in biotech lab

The second quarter of 2022 was the weakest quarter for healthcare and biotech IPOs in more than five years. Some media headlines have predicted that it marked the bottom of the biotech market. 

The XBI biotech index fund, which serves as an index for many companies that are eyeing a public debut, peaked in January 2021 followed by a fairly steady 16-month decline. But now, the XBI is on the rise. While it’s too soon to know if the XBI rise that kicked off in July 2022 will continue to mirror the rise that drove its 2021 peak, the climb appears to be signaling a comeback of healthcare and biotech IPOs.  

If you’re watching the fund, you might now be considering reviving your plans to take your company public.

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Biotech Investor Relations: Six Burning Questions Answered

Posted on July 11th, 2022. Posted by

Biotech Investor Relations: Six Burning Questions Answered

I have always found it interesting to discover what’s on people’s minds and delve into what keeps them up at night. So, I thought it would be useful to share the questions I have received recently from a mix of public and private biotech management teams, along with my responses.

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Disclosing clinical trial data: public or private, the pressure is on

Posted on May 17th, 2022. Posted by

doctor writing info about clinical trial on clipboard

For every healthcare company, public or private, the anticipation of clinical trial data represents an important, high-pressure milestone in its communications planning. For a public company, there is an obligation to disclose data within a reasonable timeframe. For a private company, while there isn’t an obligation to shareholders, there is pressure from private investors, the medical community, advocates, and even patients.

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Learning From Disney: Five Questions to Consider Before Speaking Out

Posted on May 10th, 2022. Posted by

Disney World entrance sign

The Walt Disney Company and its CEO Bob Chapek are paying a high price for staying outside of politics, and then jumping into it. Disney’s entanglements with its employees on one side and Florida’s governor and lawmakers have spilled over with very real implications. Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed into law a bill that strips Disney of its special tax status in the state, a move which will effectively change how the company operates.

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How the Media Can Help Your Business

Posted on April 14th, 2022. Posted by

reporters holding microphones to businessman at press conference

For CEOs and company leaders, interacting with the media isn’t an option — it’s a necessity. The media plays a significant role in telling your company story and shaping your public image. To ensure they tell an accurate story, however, it’s essential to learn how to work with the media and strive to understand how the industry is shifting. 

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The Perfect Earnings Call: Your 5-Week Prep Plan

Posted on March 29th, 2022. Posted by

Over the last 25 years, I have listened to hundreds of earnings calls. As a sell-side analyst, they were a routine and not-much-fun part of the job. Four times a year, you lock yourself in your office and listen to call after call of management teams highlighting their achievements or trying to sugar coat the not-so-positive news.

Most of the calls were pretty standard, and came off as well thought-out and comprehensive. But every so often you would hear that call where the sell-side analysts were unforgiving in their questions and the tone was so negative you almost feel bad for the management team. In my role here at ICR Westwicke, I’ve learned what really goes on behind the scenes to make those effective earnings calls appear effortless: a lot of hard work and practice starting about a month ahead of time. Who would have ever thought?

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The 7 Key Aspects of Investor Relations

Posted on March 28th, 2022. Posted by

Creating an investor relations strategy is no small task — but it’s a critical step for any public company. To meet the expectations of investors and analysts, company leaders must develop a strategic approach for messaging, earnings calls, guidance, conferences, investor interactions and more. While that can seem overwhelming, an effective IR process actually boils down to just seven essential elements. With a plan for each of these areas, you can build a quality, long-term shareholder base and enhance equity market value. 

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6 Commonly Asked Questions (and Answers) About Quiet Periods

Posted on February 21st, 2022. Posted by

Commonly Asked Questions About Quiet Periods

Public healthcare companies often question the best course of action during quiet periods – those stretches of time during which they should limit their interaction with Wall Street due to their knowledge of material and timely information that has not yet been disclosed. Specifically, management teams struggle to figure out what the quiet period means for their investor relations (IR) efforts.

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Bringing Investor Relations and Public Relations Together

Posted on February 9th, 2022. Posted by

IR and PR

If your company is publicly traded or a private company preparing for an IPO, then you likely have two separate communication tasks, one focused on reaching investors and financial analysts, the other on reaching customers and the general public – investor relations and public relations.

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What You Missed in 2021: Our Most-Read Posts

Posted on February 4th, 2022. Posted by

Smiling diverse businesspeople shake hands get acquainted greeting at team meeting in office. Happy multiracial male colleagues employees handshake at briefing with coworkers. Acquaintance concept.

The last year has been challenging for businesses — from global pandemic, economic uncertainty and supply chain disruptions to labor shortages and growing concern over inflation — but there was also robust activity in the financial markets, and in healthcare specifically. See what you missed in 2021 with our most-read posts of the year.

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Have News to Release?

Find out whether you should file a Form 8-K, issue a press release, or do both by using our easy-to-reference chart, “Form 8K vs. Press Release: What’s the Difference?

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