Restricted financial avenues raised many open questions at the recent LSX World Congress about the kind of deals that will shape biopharma pipelines in the coming 12-18 months. 

A selection of articles you may have missed from March 2023, including discussion of the benefits and risks of both CAR-T and NK cell therapies, insights into how companies can source financing when VC cash is scarce, and a highlight on Pfizer's mammoth purchase of Seagen.

Uzbekistan is the most populous country in Central Asia with 36 million people. The country has the only plant in Central Asia specializing in insulin production for the treatment of diabetes. Uzbek authorities aim to develop 90 pharma projects worth $1.2bn by 2026.

Innovation is a key to long-term success for biopharma companies, but building the right climate to foster creative problem-solving is challenging. Questioning assumptions and constraining the target of innovation can propel a company forward.

One in eight couples in the US are struggling to get pregnant. Alife Health’s CEO Paxton Maeder-York believes that by leveraging artificial intelligence for use in IVF fertility clinics, he can help shape a future where more people have a better chance of starting families at a lower cost and higher rate of success.

Rising Leader Julia Tsai wants to see Ovid Therapeutics become a market leading epilepsy company that listens to the needs of patients and develops innovative drugs to treat a spectrum of epileptic indications and symptoms.

With a number of top generics and biosimilars firms announcing new leaders over the past few months, the industry could be in for some strategic shifts as new faces take the helm at established off-patent players.

Innovation is a key to long-term success for biopharma companies, but building the right climate to foster creative problem-solving is challenging. Questioning assumptions and constraining the target of innovation can propel a company forward.

Life sciences and diagnostics group Thermo Fisher Scientific is encouraging suppliers to meet the same ambitious climate change targets that it has set for itself – mindful that Scope 3 emissions account for the vast majority of industry’s environmental footprint. But the drive for compliance must not compromise achievements made in the “S in ESG,” says corporate VP, CSR and sustainability, Meron Mathias.

As the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reduces its dependence on oil as an export, one sector it is building up is the life sciences industry. The government is encouraging global companies to manufacture and invest domestically and they are improving their regulatory system and working with local players to enhance access to patients.

Regulatory interventions are the preferred route for ensuring sustainability compliance, says the OECD. Legal firm CMS notes that some ESG objectives may be in contravention of antitrust law. The EU is preparing guidelines on horizontal competition with a renewed focus on sustainability.

New policy initiatives and “can do” networking openness in Wales are persuading medtech and healthtech innovators to consider the merits of locating in Great Britain’s smallest home nation.

During Q1, biopharma merger and acquisition deal value reached $51.9bn and drew in $38.1bn in potential deal value from alliances. Device company M&A values reached $4.8bn, while in vitro diagnostics and research tools players’ M&A activity totaled $2.7bn.

In Vivo's deal-making column is a survey of recent health care transactions listed by relevant industry segment – In Vitro Diagnostics, Medical Devices and Pharmaceuticals – and then categorized by type – acquisition, alliance, or financing. This month’s column covers deals announced in March 2023. Data provided by Biomedtracker.

Pear Therapeutics, Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April, saying that it had laid off about 92% of its staff but would still pursue a sale of the company or its assets. Health care insiders tell AIS Health, a division of MMIT, that the announcement by one of the pioneers in the prescription digital therapeutics industry highlights the challenges such companies face getting their products reimbursed. The difficulties are exacerbated by investors being wary of backing companies that promise future growth but have yet to turn a profit.