In May, interest and advocacy groups are helping shine the spotlight on bladder cancer during the awareness month dedicated to this common type of cancer, which accounts for about 5 percent of all new cancers in the U.S. The American Cancer Society estimates that about 79,030 cases of bladder cancer will be newly diagnosed this year (about 60,490 in men and 18,540 in women) and about 16,870 deaths will occur as a result of the disease.
It used to be that going public was a reason for biotechnology company executives to pop the champagne corks. In years past the goal was to achieve a public listing as quickly as possible in order to first obtain an infusion of cash for product development and then, as a public entity, be in a position to readily access further capital in follow-on offerings. While that goal still remains embedded in the business plans of biotechs, the financial climate that exists today has reduced the urgency for private companies to join the public ranks, and "going public" has become in many ways just another financing event.
It used to be that going public was a reason for biotechnology company executives to pop the champagne corks. In years past the goal was to achieve a public listing as quickly as possible in order to first obtain an infusion of cash for product development and then, as a public entity, be in a position to readily access further capital in follow-on offerings. While that goal still remains embedded in the business plans of biotechs, the financial climate that exists today has reduced the urgency for private companies to join the public ranks, and "going public" has become in many ways just another financing event.
The Brain Tumor Awareness Month (BTAM) that runs in May is designed to raise awareness about the serious condition that afflicts approximately 35,000 people each year in the U.S., according to the National Cancer Institute. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most common and aggressive forms of the disease that progresses rapidly, resulting in poor prognosis for those patients. It represents a significant unmet need and a number of biopharmaceutical companies are developing therapies in that area.
After spinning its wheels for a couple of months, the biopharmaceutical sector looks poised for a welcomed surge. Stocks of the leading companies by market cap pushed higher last week, catalyzed by solid first-quarter returns from those that released their financials. That bodes well for those that are scheduled to report this week, and if companies continue to demonstrate strong opening quarter results this could encourage investors back to the sector once again and trigger an extended bullish period.
To keep biopharmaceutical innovation churning requires mountains of cash. Companies will need to invest as much as $2.5 billion over a 10- to 15-year period in order to bring a new therapy to the marketplace, according to a 2014 study conducted by the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development. (See BioWorld Today, Nov. 19, 2014.)
It looks as though the biopharmaceutical industry is back on track to make up for its poor return on research investments last year when only 22 new molecular entities (NMEs) received the FDA's green light, the fewest number for five years. In the first quarter of this year, 12 NMEs were approved, outperforming comparable periods since 2013.
It looks as though the biopharmaceutical industry is back on track to make up for its poor return on research investments last year when only 22 new molecular entities (NMEs) received the FDA's green light, the fewest number for five years. In the first quarter of this year, 12 NMEs were approved, outperforming comparable periods since 2013.
Partnership and licensing deal volume (253) in the first quarter was 8 percent greater than those recorded by BioWorld in Q1 2016 and their potential values, totaling more than $20.1 billion, was about 25 percent lower. Despite the drop in collective value for those deals that revealed their financing terms, the biopharma sector is showing no signs that it has lost its appetite for dealmaking. Also, the amount companies are willing to pay for access to assets is increasing, reflecting the competitive nature of licensing these days, particularly in hot sectors such as immuno-oncology (I-O).
Private biopharmaceutical companies continued to have no difficulty in raising capital during the first quarter, keeping up the momentum from last year when cash flowed freely to global private companies – bringing in $8.62 billion – the second highest total generated in biotech's history.
