The next wave of drug discovery is being enabled by powerful computers dining on complex algorithms to uncover potential new scientific approaches for the development of innovative therapeutics. This fact has not been lost on venture capital firms specializing in the health care space that are beginning to support emerging biopharma companies that are using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to supercharge their drug discovery and development activities.
Quarterly financial reporting for public companies is costly and ties up senior management and board members for several days before each quarterly earnings report is released and the 10-Q is filed. Could this process be made more efficient and less frequent such as a semi-annual filing like many reporting companies based in Europe have implemented?
The turbulent financial markets that have seen the Dow Jones Industrial Average drop over 2% so far this month appear to have caught up with innovative mid-cap public companies engaged in exciting cancer research such as immuno-oncology. Up until now they have enjoyed strong investor support, but for the first time this year investors appear to be moving out of this sector and, as a result, share values have dipped dramatically. As a result, the BioWorld Cancer Index is trading down 11% in August.
The costs associated with navigating a new therapeutic through the regulatory process to final approval and subsequent marketing continue to rise despite industry's collective efforts to speed up the process of drug discovery and development in order to rein in those burgeoning expenses.
The costs associated with navigating a new therapeutic through the regulatory process to final approval and subsequent marketing continue to rise despite industry's collective efforts to speed up the process of drug discovery and development in order to rein in those burgeoning expenses.
Companies developing RNA-based therapies are now attracting significant investments, and the technologies and emerging products in the field have become desirable assets for big biopharmaceutical companies. In fact, during the past two years 20 deals have been executed, according to BioWorld data.
Companies developing RNA-based therapies are now attracting significant investments, and the technologies and emerging products in the field have become desirable assets for big biopharmaceutical companies. In fact, during the past two years 20 deals have been executed, according to BioWorld data. Notably, last month Merck & Co. Inc. inked a partnership with Skyhawk Therapeutics Inc. to lever its expertise in the discovery and development of small molecules that modulate RNA splicing, agreeing to pay Skyhawk up to $600 million per program target plus royalties on sales of any commercialized products of the collaboration.
Although collectively the large-cap biotech companies have failed to move the valuation needle this year, those innovative mid-cap public companies engaged in areas of research such as immuno-oncology, cell and gene therapies and CNS diseases have bucked the general trend.
