Digital connectivity is the future of drug delivery, according to Aptar Pharma, which recently deepened its partnering commitment with digital therapeutics software developer Propeller Health. But it stresses that value is the key, and not connectivity for its own sake.

Digital must become a core capability for pharma if it is to remain competitive. New technologies bring faster innovation cycles, but demand new kinds of expertise and partnerships that threaten traditional hierarchies and mindsets. The rewards, for pharma, are most likely to come from improved efficiency and stronger relationships with stakeholders, rather than from digital end-products.

Following the acquisition of cell therapy assets from Sanofi, which Sanofi had secured in its purchase of Genzyme, Aastrom Biosciences changed its name to Vericel, doubled down in cell therapy and relocated to Massachusetts. Since then it has seen its revenues grow 12% per year from just under $43 million in 2013 to just under $64 million in 2017. The target for 2020: drive revenues north of $100 million.

Speed and efficiency are fundamental to the success of today’s biopharmaceutical enterprise, but the hunt is still on for transformative technologies to boost pipeline productivity and growth. One answer may lie in the arrival of replicable, synthetic versions of DNA.

Industry and academic representatives shared viewpoints at Biotech Week Boston in September 2018, including what is unique about deal-making in the cell and gene field.

The discovery and deep investigation of the microbiome has been one of the most cutting-edge advances in biomedical research of recent times, but as the science moves forward new hurdles are emerging for microbiome therapies.

Shawn Singh, CEO of VistaGen, a growing Silicon Valley-based biotech focused on psychiatry and neurological drug development, outlines the company’s strategy for getting to market in the US and expanding its pipeline into new areas.

Healios, a Japanese regenerative medicine bioventure, expects to continue benefiting from a supportive regulatory environment in Japan as it progresses three clinical assets toward approval in the next few years, says CEO Dr. Hardy Kagimoto in an exclusive interview.

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

Investment in digital health is at an all-time high having reached $1.6 billion in the first quarter of 2018, representing a total of 77 digital health deals and growing 44% over the first quarter of 2017. But what can the medtech market learn from early successes in other industries to seize its opportunity in digital health?

Potentially curative regenerative medicine therapies are no longer theoretical, but instead have become reality. As more and more gene, cell and tissue-based therapies reach the market, the need for payment solutions is becoming more pressing. The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine has consulted with payers and other stakeholders to consider the barriers to alternative payment models and look at possible solutions.

In a partnership worth up to $5 billion, Affimed and Genentech will discovery innate immune cell immunotherapies for solid and hematological tumors. Emergent BioSolutions did two acquisitions, one in infectious disease (PaxVax) and the other in opioid overdose (Adapt Pharma). Biopharma financing reached nearly $4 billion, while device fundraising was just over $1 billion.

Second quarter device financing totaled $3.4 billion, less than half of the Q1 aggregate. Conversely, the $10.6 billion in device M&As was a 58% upsurge over the previous quarter. Like the device trends, total Q2 diagnostics financings (at $959 million) showed a 36% decline from Q1, while the $4.8 billion in M&A volume exhibited a significant increase over the previous quarter.

Derived from Strategic Transactions, Informa’s premium source for tracking life sciences deal activity, the 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 August 2018.