As biotech products ripen, manufacturers facing the prospect of launching complex, expensive drugs are turning to specialty pharmacy providers for help. A new breed of business, they provide clinical and logistical support. The recent entry of PBMs into the specialty pharmacy arena, along with new Medicare rules, is likely to accelerate pricing pressure on manufacturers and affect their relationships with distributors, payers, and providers.

In Vivo presents another installment of our quarterly review of dealmaking--in this case November 2000-January 2001. Our data comes from Windhover's Strategic Transactions Database. We include medical device financings by industry segment and by deal type; medical device M&A; diagnostic financings and alliances by product category; pharma and biotech alliances by technology segment; pharma and biotech alliances by deal type, and pharma and biotech financings by market segment and therapeutic category.