The biopharma sector is often accused of a being a slow-moving engine, but a look back over the last 20 years reveals that a lot has changed. In Vivo explores the history of high-impact M&A transactions in the industry between 1999 and 2019. 

Industry experts expect a continued uptick in deals valued between $2bn-$10bn this year as buyers look to add critical mass in areas like oncology, rare disease and cell and gene therapy. Divestitures to free up capital and narrow focus should continue too.

It has been a bumpy ride for some of the (still modest) number of European biotechs listed on Nasdaq, for various reasons. Yet most expect the direct-to-Nasdaq trend to continue. Europe’s public markets simply cannot compete.

The consensus among investors is that medtech has been the best-performing part of health care for the past three to four years, and investment levels remain good. Seemingly all-encompassing of late has been companies’ preoccupation with digital strategies, but there is a lot more to this unique industry than just digital.

A better understanding of heme trafficking could lead to drug targets in metabolic diseases, anemias, porphyrias, hemolytic diseases such as sickle cell disease – even parasitic infections.

Cryoport is a unique company in its niche – supporting regenerative medicine clinical trials and commercial products with cold chain logistics – and has designs on becoming a full supply chain partner for the biopharma industry. CEO Jerry Shelton explained the company’s current role and future plans to In Vivo during the recent Jefferies Healthcare conference.

UK-centric investment firm Syncona’s model of “founding, building and funding” early-stage biotech companies – with a commitment to the longer term – hopes to help make Great Britain a cell and gene therapy powerhouse.

An interactive look at recent executive-level company changes and promotions in the biopharma, medical device and diagnostics industries.

In the latest instalment of our VC playbook series, In Vivo sits down with Roel Bulthuis, managing partner at INKEF Capital, to discuss the group’s approach to health care investing in Europe, the importance of funding a team not just a project and how life sciences venture capital is evolving with the emergence of health tech.

In an exclusive interview, senior NICE director Meindert Boysen reveals the best advice he ever received and how companies whose products are under review can improve their chances of success.

EU medical device consultant Trevor Lewis takes note of the recent, if belated, progress towards the building of the post-MDR playing field for medical device companies in Europe, but calls political decision-makers and economic operators to account: getting it right is nothing short of a matter of life and death, he tells In Vivo.

Maximizing patient access to innovative and effective treatments will require increased transparency, improved outcomes data analyses, dynamic contract management and perhaps most importantly, good faith on both sides.

Derived from Strategic Transactions, Informa’s premium source for tracking life sciences deal activity, the Dealmaking 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 January 2020.

Gene therapy dominated the top December deals, with a $2.9bn alliance between Roche and Saretpta for DMD treatment SRP9001, and Astellas's $3bn acquisition of Audentes Therapeutics. Follow-on public offerings made up close to or more than half of both biopharma and device financing.