Private Company Edition: After just seven venture capital rounds of $100m or more in January and February, five have been announced already in March, including a $200m series A round for Cargo Therapeutics, Chroma Medicine’s $135m series B financing and $112m for Noema’s series B.

While the unprecedented number of major drugs losing patent protection in 2011 and 2012 has cast a gloomy shadow, the industry has quietly had one of its best years for launching novel therapies.

The dealmaking column is a survey of recent transactions, including strategic alliances, mergers & acquisitions, and financings, in the life sciences industries. Deals are listed by the following industry sectors: in vitro diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and research/analytical instrumentation and reagents. All transactions are excerpted from Elsevier's Strategic Transactions

Perhaps because the ideal analgesic has yet to be discovered, there is intense clinical trial activity in the pain area. Furthermore, there is a good chance that the next few years will witness at least one new class of analgesic reach the market.