SR One will keep investing in a mix of new companies, early-stage firms and later opportunities with its second fund, raised even as biotech continues to endure challenging financial times.

Excluding the multinational majors AstraZeneca and GSK, the UK has yet to produce a truly successful scaled pharma company, despite having boasted several innovative start-ups. Whether that represents a negative, however, is a matter for debate. 

During Q3, biopharma merger and acquisition value reached $15.4bn and drew in $37.6bn in potential deal value from alliances. Device company M&A values reached $550m, while in vitro diagnostic firms and research tools players completed M&A activity that totaled $1.9bn.

Arcutis's CEO believes that with "a modest investment," the company can generate proof-of-concept data "against a de-risked target in a high-value indication,” Ducentis's preclinical atopic dermatits drug DS-234.