Flagship’s robust funding round highlights a general recovery in biotech investment. A number of venture capital firms brought in fresh cash this year, including Foresite Capital, Sands Capital, Scion Life Sciences and a life sciences arm of Goldman Sachs. Arch Venture Partners is also raising a new $3 billion fund.
Still, investors are now often looking for more proven commodities rather than the preclinical startups that easily raised cash in 2020 and 2021. Activity in initial public offerings in the sector remains spotty, too.
Flagship offers institutional investors the chance to buy into a diverse universe of biotech companies. Launched in 2000, Flagship has created more than 100 scientific ventures and currently counts 40 companies in its portfolio, including COVID vaccine maker Moderna. All told, Flagship now has an aggregate capital pool of $10.9 billion and $14 billion of assets under management. READ MORE
By Kristin Jensen
Source: biopharmadive.com
AI is poised to significantly lower pharmaceutical R&D costs through efficient drug discovery, optimised clinical trials, and predictive data analysis, according to a GlobalData survey. The leading data and analytics company’s report, “The State of the Biopharmaceutical Industry – 2025,” highlights AI’s potential to boost productivity and cut costs in the coming year.
Gilead Sciences and LEO Pharma have announced a strategic partnership to advance LEO Pharma’s oral STAT6 program. This collaboration aims to develop treatments for patients suffering from inflammatory diseases such as atopic dermatitis, asthma, and COPD.
While deep-brain stimulation therapy has been available for people with Parkinson’s disease for decades, Medtronic has now received a European approval for what it describes as the first closed-loop therapy approach—allowing for self-adjusting neuromodulation in real time to help control the condition’s motor symptoms.
