Biotechnology Gets the Usual January Boost

Biotechnology Gets the Usual January Boost

The Biotechnology sector roared to life in 2017, posting a record 209 transactions. That’s 20% higher than the 174 deals announced in 2016. The previous record for the sector was set in 2009, with 193 transactions announced in the space. Spending for those 209 deals in 2017 didn’t set new records, but did post an impressive $54.5 billion in disclosed prices. That’s 283% higher than the $18.6 billion recorded in all of 2016, but not close to the secctor’s annual spending record of $93.9 billion, set in 2008. Every January, the Biotechnology Showcase is held in San Francisco, concurrent with the J.P. Morgan Healthcare conference. And every January, this sector sees... Read More »

2017 Biggest Healthcare Deals by Sector

2017 was another big year for billion-dollar healthcare transactions. Among the deals that disclosed prices, 44 topped the billion-dollar mark, for a total of approximately $263.1 billion. Although that number seems high, there were 50 billion-dollar deals announced in 2015, although those totaled a slightly lower $240.1 billion. 2016 posted lower totals for both the number of billion-dollar deals (39) and combined prices ($194.1 billion). Of course the biggest healthcare deal in 2017 was the $77 billion acquisition of Aetna Inc. (NYSE: AET) by CVS Health (NYSE: CVS). But there were many more sizable transactions across the sectors, as the chart below illustrates. See how many you remember... Read More »
Biotechnology Gets the Usual January Boost

Deal of the Week: Celgene/Impact

Biotechnology deals are off to a strong start in 2018, thanks to the Biotech Showcase 2018 held every year alongside the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. In the first two weeks, 16 transactions were made public. This year, the Showcase registration desk was just getting into full swing on Sunday, January 7, when Celgene Corp. (NASDAQ: CELG) announced its $1.1 billion acquisition of Impact Biomedicines, a privately held biotech based in San Diego. The draw is Impact’s lead product candidate, fedratinib, a highly selective JAK2 kinase inhibitor that is being evaluated for myelofibrosis and polycythemia vera. Fedratinib was evaluated in 877 patients across 18 clinical trials. In a... Read More »
Deal of the Week: McKesson/RxCrossroads

Deal of the Week: McKesson/RxCrossroads

The largest deal announced in a very sluggish week for healthcare announcements was McKesson Corp.’s (NYSE: MCK) $735 million acquisition of RxCrossroads from CVS Health Corp. (NYSE: CVS). RxCrossroads provides a range of specialty distribution, pharmacy and patient support to biopharmaceutical manufacturers. CVS acquired it in 2015 as part of its $12.7 billion deal for Omnicare Inc., which specialized in managing pharmaceutical care in long-term care and assisted living facilities. Omnicare paid $235 million for RxCrossroads in 2005, when it reported annualized revenue of $46 million. For McKesson, RxCrossroads will help it to capitalize on what the coming boom in the specialty... Read More »
Clinical Trial Software Companies Are Hot

Clinical Trial Software Companies Are Hot

The digital health sector is benefitting big-time from the explosion in drug discovery transactions in 2017. Investors are now targeting eHealth companies specializing in clinical trial software. The statistics behind the surge in mergers and acquisitions in the drug discovery market are impressive. Through the first week in November, 43 deals targeting contract research organizations (CROs) have been announced, up nearly 70% from this time in 2016, and a 760% increase from this time in 2015. Biotechnology deals are speeding up as well, up nearly 30% from the past two years. Pharmaceutical companies are a main driver of demand in these sectors. Rather than fund in-house R&D, Big Pharma... Read More »
Deal of the Week: McKesson/RxCrossroads

Deal of the Week: Novartis/AAAP

Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS) has spent most of 2017 buying up licenses to preclinical candidates. In the first 10 months of this year, it spent approximately $225 million in disclosed upfront payments. But the Swiss drugmaker just spent $3.9 billion for a more established drug product targeting neuroendocrine tumors. On October 30, 2017, Novartis acquired Advanced Accelerator Applications S.A. (NASDAQ: AAAP), a French radiopharmaceutical company that develops, produces and commercializes molecular nuclear medicines including Lutathera® (177Lu-DOTATATE), a first-in-class RLT product for neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). The radiopharmaceutical was approved in Europe last month for the treatment of... Read More »