Biopharma financings are continuing a faster pace than last year, with $25.82 billion raised in the first five months of 2023, up 20.46% from $21.44 billion in the same time period last year. Value is down compared to 2021’s $59.29 billion and 2020’s $48.03 billion but it is more than 2019’s $23.21 billion from January to May.

Immutep Ltd. announced an AU$80 million (US$52.1 million) capital raise that consists of a AU$50 million placement and a AU$30 million entitlement offer to eligible shareholders to fund clinical programs for lead candidate eftilagimod (IMP-321, efti), a lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3) fusion protein and major histocompatibility complex class II agonist that stimulates both innate and adaptive immunity for treating cancer.

After a steep drop in biopharmaceutical IPOs in the first half of 2023, investors have come to expect that the slowdown in new listings of Chinese companies will continue for some time. Without the key influx of cash that equity financing can generate, biopharma companies are ramping up other activities to generate cash, particularly by out-licensing drugs with the potential for global expansion.

ITM SE has closed a €255 million (US$272 million) round to prepare for market entry, as its lead targeted radiopharmaceutical ITM-11 nears the end of phase III development in the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors of gastroenteric or pancreatic origin.

Med-tech companies raised $8.65 billion in the first five months of the year, a decrease of 34.9% from the $13.29 billion raised in the same time frame last year. The number of deals is down 33.04% from last year, from 230 to 154.