ARCH closed a $3bn VC fund to end the month of June while in the same week six public biopharma firms said they are cutting jobs. Even so, some publicly traded companies have been able to launch sizeable offerings, including a $450m note sale by Cytokinetics and Xenon’s $250m follow-on. 

The growth of markets within Asia is creating an enticing lure for medical device, pharmaceutical, and biomedical companies seeking to establish or enhance their presence in the region. Countries with large populations-and, in some cases, underserved medical needs for certain conditions-represent an opportunity to expand health care treatments. The government of Singapore is working hard to make sure foreign companies understand the island nation is very willing to offer that expertise and create an ideal location that could serve as a gateway to all of Asia.

Lost in the rush to develop better implants and devices to treat orthopedic injury is the need for better diagnostics capable of pinpointing injury and foretelling the onset of disease. A group of companies is working on just that.