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.

Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) have the potential to prevent HIV, and more researchers are turning to bNAbs as an alternative to antiretroviral therapy (ART), speakers said during the International AIDS Society meeting held July 23 to 26 in Brisbane, Australia. However, for a cure, the viral reservoir that is formed in the early stages of HIV remains an obstacle, and recent studies suggest that controlling or eliminating the HIV reservoir with bNAbs might be possible.