Israel's appetite for biopharma investment is growing, but competition for cash is still tough and local investors are not only looking at regional startups to place their bets on.

The growing aging population and rising obesity rates are paving the way for patch-based drug delivery systems to treat such common age-related diseases as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, hormonal deficiencies, heart disease, as well as for managing acute and chronic pain patients. According to a new report by Meddevicetracker, the global market for transdermal patch products will reach $8.1bn by 2021, a CAGR of 2.9% from 2016. In this feature, we'll take a closer look at the overall market and the key players in the individual segments in this overall market. We'll take a deep dive into the neurological disorders segment, which is expected to see the biggest growth in the overall segment. We'll also feature physician specialty surveys outlining the pros and cons of using patch-based systems.

Third-quarter biopharma financing, which totaled $12.5 billion, was dominated by follow-on public offerings, which represented virtually half the value. Acquisition activity was headlined by a major move by Gilead in the CART market. Five alliances were signed worth over $1 billion, led by a partnership between two key players, Merck & Co. and AstraZeneca.

After the hedge fund Scopia called on Acorda to investigate the possibility of a sale, the biotech's argument for its current direction faltered due to an FDA refuse-to-file letter for Inbrija. Acorda then adopted a shareholder rights plan to buy time.