Will Allergan Cuts Resound in China? Holte’s High-Rise Act

Jinsong Ni isn’t too worried about the pink slip he got from Allergan last week, perhaps because he has a PhD in chemistry and years of experience on the nonclinical side of the drugmaker’s R&D—the sort of early-stage investments it pledged to cut at its Irvine HQ amid a hostile takeover bid by Valeant last year. Allergan wound up taking $72.5 billion from Actavis, and Ni notes the deal followed moves by two other big makers of eye drugs to cut back on early stage R&D after recent sales—Bausch & Lomb went to Valeant, and Novartis got Alcon. The consolidation and cutbacks point to a de facto outsourcing of early-stage R&D to smaller outfits, a number of which are expected to spring up in OC, where 800 or so pros have gotten pink slips from Allergan … Startups need funding as well as talent, and Ni is directing his old Allergan colleagues to the OC/LA Chapter of the Sino-American Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Professional Association, which he serves as president and calls a bridge between members and investors in China. He says professionals of all ethnicities are welcome, and notes the group’s website at sabpa.org has information in English and Chinese… Doug Holte oversees all of the buildings around the Irvine Marriott as president of office properties for the Irvine Company, and he’ll soon get a chance for a unique view into the hotel—unless he decides to stare straight down. The Insider wouldn’t blame him, since he’ll be rappelling down the 17-story hotel on the Irvine Towers campus as part of a June 15 fundraiser for Shatterproof, a nonprofit dedicated to dispelling “the shame and stigma around the epidemic of alcohol and drug addiction.” The group was founded by Gary Mendell, whose son, Brian, lost a battle with addiction some years ago. Mendell also founded N.Y.-based HEI Hotels & Resorts, owner of the Irvine Marriott. Greg Mech, managing director for Caprock Group, also lost a son, James, to addiction, which led to his involvement with Shatterproof. He and Dave Edington of Rimrock Capital are spearheading the effort in Irvine, one of 27 cities hosting events for the cause … Orange County Visitors Association boss Ed Fuller is working far and wide to make the case that the “Big Three” U.S. airlines—United, Delta and American—want the federal government to “break a number of Open Skies agreements” to tamp down competition from Etihad Airways, Emirates and Qatar Airways. Fuller has said so in columns at Forbes.com and in news reports on various websites that cover business in the Middle East. He also pushes the local angle, contending that restrictions on flights by the overseas carriers would put a dent in OC’s growing business as a destination for visitors from the Middle East and host for flight crews from the three overseas airlines. Fuller seems well-suited for the role of loyal opposition to the American carriers or federal government. His professional credentials include a tenure as top exec for Marriott International. His personal bona fides—just in case anyone sees something disloyal in his dissertations—include a Bronze Star earned in Vietnam … To all the Ducks fans who quacked about last week’s errant prediction of Stanley Cup glory: a 10-minute major and game misconduct will be served by the columnist at the start of the next season.