Initial public offerings are the lifeblood of the biotech industry. Stock listings give young companies access to the vast amount of cash necessary to advance their drugs through clinical development, and their venture backers a crucial opportunity to earn a return and form new biotechs.
At the start of the last decade, the IPO markets weren’t receptive to biotech companies. But by 2013, public investment was pouring into the industry, drawn by scientific advances and boosted by the newfound interest of a broader range of investors.
Ever since, biotechs and their backers have ridden a multi-year boom. Many young drugmakers, including those still years from human trials, have gone public at valuations never thought possible in the 2000s. Records have been made, and broken, several times over. Last year, a new high water mark was set during the deadliest pandemic in a century.
But a lucrative IPO doesn’t mean the company will thrive. Which biotechs create value over time, and which fail? What types of companies are generating the best returns? Who are their top investors? READ MORE
By Ben Fidler
Source: biopharmadive.com
Big Pharma has long seen the potential for AI and machine learning to accelerate drug development. But Novo Nordisk is going a step further by channeling $200 million toward the creation of a computer that will outrun anything in existence.
Current methods for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease rely on a complex combination of self- and caregiver-reported symptoms, a physical examination and either a PET scan or a spinal tap to look for evidence of amyloid plaque build-ups in the brain. But a new artificial intelligence-based method may make the diagnostic process a much more objective one.
There is lots of talk about diversity and inclusion in business, including in pharma and medtech. A new report by the Open Political Economy Network (OPEN), a think tank focusing on migration and diversity, released its “Minority Businesses Matter: Europe” report highlighting the successes and challenges of ethnic minority-owned businesses in Europe.
