Private Company Edition: Clover’s $230m financing was the largest of recent mega-rounds. Century Therapeutics ($160m), Vividion ($135m) and eGenesis ($125m) also raised big rounds and investors Foresite Capital ($969m), Sofinnova Partners ($540m) and OMX Ventures ($150m) raised new VC funds. 

The fresh cash injection will fund Phase II studies evaluating the UK firm's 12-month treatment for diabetic macular edema.

After a fervent US expanstion capped by the surprise $150 million licensing of Indevus OAB treatment Sanctura, proprietary ambitions at the Croatian generics play Pliva may be stalling. Sanctura sales have disappointed, illustrating again the challenges of taking a specialist approach to primary care marketing. Pliva's best bet may be to switch growth engines to its promising biogenerics portfolio.

If the nominal theme of Windhover's 2004 Pharmaceutical Strategic Alliances conference was "transitions", the full subtext was "transitions to sustainability." Mid-sized players appear to have the best shot at sustainability in an environment where, increasingly, less differentiated, primary care blockbusters are out, and specialist products are in.