Market Intelligence

HHS agencies look to build on COVID-19 experience by developing quicker public/private responses to pandemics and supply chain threats.

After an extraordinary year that saw demand patterns and the supply chain upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a major merger that has transformed one of the global off-patent industry’s biggest players, Generics Bulletin’s Top 50 has once again seen significant changes.

Six $1bn+ alliances were penned in October. Topping the list was a potential $3.6bn deal between Poseida Therapeutics and Takeda to utilize Poseida's genetic engineering platforms for the research and development of up to eight gene therapies. The collaboration will focus on non-viral in vivo gene therapy programs, including Poseida's preclinical hemophilia A program P-FVIII-101. Poseida will lead research activities up to candidate selection, after which Takeda will assume responsibility for further exclusive global development and commercialization.

In Vivo's 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 October 2021. Data provided by Biomedtracker. 

A selection of articles you might have missed from October 2021, including exclusive interviews and a look at oncology R&D trends. 

During Q3, biopharma merger and acquisition value reached $48.6bn and drew in $43bn in potential deal value (PDV) from alliances. Device company M&A values reached $7.1bn, while in vitro diagnostic firms and research tools players completed M&A activity that totaled $6.7bn.

US Congressional Democrats made Halloween the new deadline for President Biden’s Build Back Better Act, to be passed through the reconciliation process. Savings generated from prescription drug price cuts represent a key pot of money to offset the legislation’s other spending initiatives.

Three $1bn+ alliances were penned in September. Topping the list was a potential $3.25bn deal between Adaptimmune Therapeutics and Roche's Genentech for the development and commercialization of allogeneic T-cell therapies in multiple oncology indications. Adaptimmune will be responsible for developing clinical candidates using its induced pluripotent stem cell-derived allogeneic platform to produce T-cells. Genentech will be responsible for the input TCRs and subsequent clinical development and commercialization. Adaptimmune has the right to opt in to a 50/50 US profit/cost share on off-the-shelf products.

In Vivo's 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 September 2021. Data provided by Biomedtracker. 

Medtech companies accessing the EU market must be fully compliant with the new Medical Device Regulation by 26 May 2024 – but the regulatory structure is incomplete and companies also have the ongoing pandemic to contend with.

Pharmaceutical marketing and sales shifted toward digital by necessity as the COVID-19 pandemic set in, but advertising experts say offline channels still have an important place in an effective, multi-channel promotional strategy. Defining a brand’s key audience and customer drivers should be the determining factor in channel selection, not chasing the next new media platform.

Two $2bn+ alliances were penned in August. Topping the list was a multi-target deal between Shape Therapeutics and Roche that could exceed $3bn. Through the partnership, ShapeTX will apply its proprietary RNA editing platform RNAfix and potentially leverage its AAVid technology platform for next-generation tissue-specific adeno-associated viruses for the development of gene therapy for certain targets in the areas of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and rare diseases. Roche is responsible for the development and worldwide commercialization of any potential products resulting from the collaboration. In the top August M&A by deal value, Sanofi entered into a definitive agreement to acquire all outstanding shares of public messenger RNA therapeutics company Translate Bio for $38.00 per share in cash (a 20% premium to Translate's 10-day pre-announcement market average), which represents a total equity value of approximately $3.2bn. Founded in 2011, Translate Bio is developing a new class of medicines to treat diseases caused by protein or gene dysfunction, or to prevent infectious diseases by generating protective immunity. The company is primarily focused on applying its technology to treat pulmonary diseases with a lead pulmonary candidate being evaluated as an inhaled treatment for cystic fibrosis in a Phase I/II clinical trial. Its MRT platform may be applied to various classes of treatments, such as therapeutic antibodies or vaccines in areas such as oncology. Financing reached $4.4bn in biopharma, $1.5bn in device, and $256m in diagnostics.