Full-year biopharma deal value in 2025 reached $292.55 billion, the highest annual total in BioWorld’s records, following $78.93 billion in the fourth quarter (Q4). The annual total is a 27% increase from the $230.53 billion recorded in 2024.
After a “brutal” year, there is reason for optimism, with the fourth quarter seeing an upswing in deal numbers and the amount raised, according to the UK Bioindustry Association’s final tally of biotech financing in 2025.
Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH and Simcere Pharmaceutical Group Ltd. have entered into a license and collaboration agreement to develop SIM-0709 for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.
Shionogi & Co. Ltd. and Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) Co. Ltd. were involved in separate divestment transactions this week, with Shionogi buying out Pfizer Inc.’s stake in Viiv Healthcare Ltd. to lift its holding to 21.7%.
Despite pressure on drug pricing, an ongoing threat of tariffs and rising geopolitical tension, the outlook for dealmaking in 2026 is strong. Balanced against the fog of uncertainty, which the industry is navigating, is the stark reality of the coming patent cliff and the fact that the big pharma companies have access to $1.619 trillion with which to replenish their pipelines.
Shionogi & Co. Ltd. and Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) Co. Ltd. were involved in separate divestment transactions this week, with Shionogi buying out Pfizer Inc.’s stake in Viiv Healthcare Ltd. to lift its holding to 21.7%.
On the heels of more positive early data from the lead program derived from its tumor-activated T-cell engager (TRACTr) platform, Janux Therapeutics Inc. inked a collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb Co. that comes with $50 million in up-front and near-term milestone payments, with the possibility of up to $800 million more tied to development, regulatory and commercial milestones.
Med-tech M&A activity cooled in 2025, with total reported deal value falling to about $42.14 billion, down from $57.9 billion in 2024 and far below the levels seen in 2021 and 2022, when annual totals exceeded $150 billion.
Insilico Medicine Cayman Topco and Hygtia Therapeutics Co. Ltd. have entered into an exclusive license and co-development collaboration to advance ISM-8969 worldwide. ISM-8969 is an orally available, brain penetrant NLRP3 inhibitor for CNS disorders.
After only three $1 billion-plus biopharma deals in November, December saw 14 blockbuster deals worth a total of $21.92 billion, including four deals worth more than $2 billion.
RSS
