October marked a historic milestone for the biopharma industry, with deal values hitting $44.91 billion. It was the highest amount ever recorded by BioWorld, topping a deal value of $42.45 billion in December 2022. While the cumulative value of biopharma deals through Q3 lagged behind the previous year, October’s outstanding value has catapulted this year ahead. In the first 10 months of 2023, deal value reached $175.2 billion, compared to $148.56 billion recorded in the same period in 2022.

In October, the biopharma industry secured $11.6 billion in financings, marking the highest monthly amount since June 2021 when value totaled $12.3 billion. Biopharma financings have averaged $6.1 billion per month so far in 2023, an increase from the $5.07 billion monthly average for all of 2022.

While biopharma dealmaking remains active, a strong third quarter (Q3) was not enough to bring it to the same level seen during each of the last three years, although values are coming close. At the same time, M&As appear to be rising above 2022, but even with the increase, they still lag behind other years. If the Pfizer Inc./Seagen Inc. merger, worth $43 billion, closes before the end of 2023, for example, M&As will still not come close to the overall value seen in 2019 and 2020.

Biopharma financings in 2023 – at $49.3 billion raised through the third quarter (Q3) – are tracking ahead of, or only slightly behind, several years since 2011, except for the two outlier years of 2020 and 2021 when there was a flurry of investments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through Q3 2023 biopharma values are down 4.5% year over year, with 1,007 deals valued at $130.58 billion this year, compared to 1,179 deals worth $136.73 billion in the same time period in 2022. Biopharma deals have averaged $14.51 billion per month this year, a decrease from 2022’s average of $17.18 billion per month. September deals outpaced the average of both years, reaching $18.46 billion.

Through September 2023, biopharmas raised a total of $49.15 billion, up 7.46% in value from the $45.74 billion raised in the same period last year. Value is down from $93.98 billion raised in 2021 and $104.09 billion in 2020, but up from $42.17 billion raised in 2019 in the same time period.

January-August 2023 saw clinical trial data up 1.22% compared to the same time period last year. In the first eight months of this year, BioWorld reported on 2,314 drugs in phase I-III, compared to 2,286 in the same timeframe in 2022. The number of trial updates is down 13.24% from the 2,667 in 2021 and down from 2020’s 2,363, but up 20.46% from 2019’s 1,921.

Biopharma grants are up nearly 150% compared to the same time period last year, largely due to a number of $100 million-plus grants from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). Meanwhile, nonprofit deal value has declined year-over-year, with the number of transactions down 42.21%.

The first seven months of 2023 saw clinical trial data up 1.43% compared to the same time period last year. From January through July this year, BioWorld reported on 2,064 drugs in phase I-III, compared to 2,035 in the same time period in 2022. The number of trial updates is down 14.07% from the 2,402 in 2021 and down from 2020’s 2,096, but up 18.15% from 2019’s 1,747.

The June dip in biopharma deal value was short-lived, with July seeing 106 deals worth $17.57 billion, up 72.03% from $10.22 billion in July 2022.