New Immuno-Oncology Solutions (NIOS) - Teaching Note: Aligning stakeholders in the biotech industry

This case focuses on a small biotech company (NIOS), located in Barcelona, Spain, that is developing a new immune-oncology product for treating pancreatic cancer. The drug that the company is developing has recently finished Phase I of clinical trials successfully and is now preparing for Phase II and III. At this point, the CEO is approached by her former PhD director, a university professor, who asks if the company is interested in licensing a new molecule, also a potential immune-oncology drug, and adding it to NIOS?s development pipeline. The case then opens its lens to take a look at the biotech industry, where small start-ups like NIOS are increasingly playing a significant role in developing new drugs, which they then license to larger pharmaceutical companies. Then, it goes back to NIOS to explore the advantages and disadvantages of staying focused on the current single project versus adding a second potential treatment to the portfolio. The case describes the perspective of the different relevant stakeholders including Laura Ferran (co-founder and CEO), Marc Bosch (co-founder and Chief Science Officer), the venture capital companies that invested in the company, and the R&D team. The case ends pondering whether the CEO should propose to the board to license the new molecule.