Biotechnology deal activity picked up in the first quarter of 2016, rising 43% versus the previous quarter, to 30 deals. The total is 24% of the 127 deals announced in the previous 12 months. Biotechnology targets range from large, publicly traded companies to small startups, or established lines of products to licenses or rights to technologies and drugs in various phases of development. Research collaborations are included, when an acquirer pays an upfront fee for the rights to a promising compound, and picks up the R&D, regulatory and commercialization costs. In the first quarter, 19 of the 30 transactions involved the purchase of an entire company, while seven involved the rights or license to a marketed product or a lead drug candidate. The remaining three were collaboration agreements. Check out The Health Care M&A Report, First Quarter 2016, available now.