Since its September 2021 $13m (£10m) funding round, Locate Bio has continued the development of its range of orthobiologics focused on improving outcomes from orthopedic surgery.

Even Series A rounds have been large during recent record-breaking years for biotech venture capital investment, but it looks like smaller financings for early-stage companies may be in the midst of a comeback. With VC firms closing new funds, that raises the question: Will the number of preclinical and Phase I financings increase?

Acorda Therapeutics paid $6.8 million on 20 December to complete the acquisition of Neuronex and the Ardsley, New York-based company will make up to $134 million in additional milestone payments plus royalties for Neuronex's patient-friendly intranasal formulation of diazepam for the control of acute repetitive seizures (ARS).

Medtronic's INFUSE bone morphogenetic protein is the only product in the musculoskeletal industry that has changed the bar in terms of bone healing, and it is under fire for complications related to off-label use. As regulators and payors crack down on INFUSE and hospitals restrict access to the product, surgeons are seeking alternatives and there are a number of companies lining up to fill the void