Both Atlas and Foresite Capital announced new funds focused on start-ups. Also, Flagship launched Vesalius with $75m in initial funding, Innoviva sold $225m in notes, Hookipa priced a $75m follow-on offering and job cuts were revealed by Epizyme, Flexion, Deciphera and Gemini. 

Merging with a special purpose acquisition corporation is a viable funding tool, but it may not be the best choice for drug developers far from key milestones.

Dozens of health care-focused special purpose acquisition corporations have gone public during the past two years but many biopharma firms that have merged with SPACs have not performed well to date, raising the question of how long the SPAC boom will last.

Public Company Edition: Almost halfway through the year, initial public offerings equal nearly three-quarters of the 2020 total. Also, Pardes is one of four new SPAC mergers; HUTCHMED launched an IPO in Hong Kong; and Zentalis, Theravance and BioXcel launched follow-on offerings.