Also, two more health care-focused SPACs went public, Centessa obtained up to $300m in debt, three new venture capital funds launched and Intergalactic debuted with a $75m series A round.

With 88 initial public offerings in the US through the end of the third quarter of 2021, the biopharma industry is two IPOs ahead of the full-year 2020 total, but with an average return of -4% momentum may slow.

In this week's podcast edition of Five Must-Know Things: the prospects for Merck’s Acceleron acquisition; the pandemic and biotech capital in-flow; an interview with Menarini’s CEO; upcoming endocrine and metabolic product disorders; and an interview with Novartis Pharma’s president.

Two years into her tenure as the head of Menarini, Elcin Barker Ergun has already inked two major cancer deals with the acquisition of Stemline and a key licensing pact with Radius Health. The future for the Italian group is bright, she explained to Scrip in an exclusive interview.