Financing

Good news in the biopharma industry and the US economy gave public drug developers the boost they needed to raise cash, including Karuna’s $750m offering. Private company financings slowed during the second week of August, but Prellis and Vector BioPharma raised venture capital.

Experts shared views at a recent conference in Seoul on how the Korean biopharma industry has evolved and what needs to be done to move forward in the next 10 years. Policy efficiency and family ownership in the sector came in for particular scrutiny, with some calling for sweeping changes. 

Private Company Edition: Sironax completed a $200m series B round while IDRx launched with $122m and OriCell raised $120m in series C funds, joining end-of-July $100m-plus fundraiser Carmot Therapeutics, which closed a $160m series D financing. 

Having banked a $100m upfront fee from licensing partner Shionogi a couple of months ago, F2G has now unveiled a $70m financing to advance its late-stage novel oral antifungal, olorofim.

Public Company Edition: MAIA launches a $10m initial public offering, the first in the US since May, but NewAmsterdam opts for the SPAC route to the stock market. Also, Legend raises $350m in a follow-on offering, Iveric obtains access to $250m in debt and Otonomy cuts costs after a Phase II failure.

Weak financing sentiment for Korean bioventures continues this year with sharply lower fund inflows from venture capital and other investors, as well as delayed or withdrawn IPOs, in Q2. Amyloid Solution, Rznomics, and UPPthera were among the top fundraisers.

While a two-hour-plus online discussion between the leaders of the world's two largest economies had some encouraging signs for the biopharma sector, more remains to be done and multiple other factors are playing into a mix of decoupling pressures.

The lack of distractions from a large domestic market and a close proximity of research centers are just two advantages for the flourishing Swiss biotech sector, which enjoyed a bumper year in 2021, says its industry association. 

French Biotech In Focus: Amid a global biotech funding boom last year, French biotech saw a rise in the number of high-value financing rounds while its firms adopt savvy licensing strategies.

Private Company Edition: The amount of venture capital raised by biopharma firms fell but individual companies grabbed a lot of cash, making for a remarkable Q2 relative to pre-pandemic times. Recent Q3 rounds includes Frontera’s $160m series B. Also, Oxford Science Enterprises added €250m to its fund.

MAXVAX Biotechnology and Beijing Luzhu Biotechnology raise new funds to progress their recombinant herpes zoster vaccine candidates with novel adjuvants, while multiple other ventures in China complete new financings across multiple therapeutic areas and modalities. 

Public Company Edition: William Blair analysts note that stock prices are rising due to a Q2 boost in dealmaking after a lull in Q1. Nevertheless, layoffs and portfolio prioritizations are ongoing, including at X4 Pharmaceuticals, but others have raised cash following good news, like Revolution Medicines.