With phase III vaccine trials nearly enrolled and data expected soon, a half-year of expedited development efforts, plus massive government funding may soon provide the ammunition needed to effectively stop the SARS-CoV-2 scourge of 2020.

Just as financings are hitting record levels, biopharma deals should finish out 2020 on top, based on solid partnerships signed in the first three quarters of the year. While mergers and acquisitions have slowed this year, particularly in the third quarter, several big-money M&As slated to close in the fourth quarter could move the needle, putting this year within the top three highest values.

According to BioWorld, almost $85 billion was raised by public and private biopharma companies globally in the second and third quarters alone, bringing the dollars generated to date to more than $100 billion – a total that smashes the existing record of about $69 billion that was raised in 2015.

Biopharma money raised to-date and by quarter in 2020, including public, private and other financings.

The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) is involved in supporting research designed to unravel the biology of aging and expanding the field, and this week it held a webinar on the “Business of Longevity: Moving Biomedical Advances into Biotech Opportunities.” The panelists reviewed the latest research and looked at what it will take to attract more investment and biotech companies into what remains a nascent area but one that offers tremendous commercial opportunities.