During Q1, biopharmas brought in an aggregate $13.8bn in financing. M&A value reached $6.9bn, the majority from Gilead Sciences $4.9bn purchase of immuno-oncology firm Forty Seven. Alliances fetched $35bn in potential deal value, dominated by many Big Pharma tie-ups led by a $4bn discovery and development collaboration between AstraZeneca and Silence Therapeutics for siRNA therapeutics.

Sanofi has transformed the productivity of its R&D pipeline over the past several years, and late-stage clinical data readouts are expected in the second half of this year for new anticancer drugs, a candidate pemphigus therapy and a COVID-19 vaccine.

Sanofi’s sales grew strongly in the second quarter, driven by the immunologic Dupixent and its vaccines business, with the company also reporting success in a further potential indication for the product, chronic spontaneous urticaria. The big pharma has raised its EPS guidance for the year.