Mergers and acquisitions have always been a regular staple in the biotech industry . . . until this year that is. Can it be possible that there won't be at least one blockbuster deal executed by the end of December?
In this second part of our focus on ocular diseases, we look at the latest developments taking place in the treatment of central vision disorders such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This disease, along with cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma, represents a considerable economic burden to the health systems of developed and developing countries . . . and the situation is predicted to get worse.
Mergers and acquisitions have always been a regular staple in the biotech industry . . . until this year that is. Can it be possible that there won't be at least one blockbuster deal executed by the end of December?
Although estimates vary widely there could be as many as 25 million Americans suffering from dry eye disease (DED), with the majority of those affected being women. Millions more are believed to have similar, but less severe symptoms.
Our recent analysis of biotech’s second quarter performance showed, for public biotech companies at least, their bull run that began more than 18 months ago is showing no signs of slowing down. Since the beginning of 2012 the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index (NBI) has risen in value by 75 percent. The NBI tracks about 124 companies and to be eligible for inclusion, they must have a market capitalization of $200 million and have an average trading volume of 100,000 shares per day. To remain in the index, the company's market capitalization must be $100 million, with an average of 50,000 shares...
In the short space of three months venture capital investing has demonstrated a remarkable turnaround. In the first quarter of 2013 the statistics revealed a drop in the value and volume of VC deals. The second quarter couldn't be more different.
Global biotech companies continued their torrid fundraising pace generating almost $6 billion in the second quarter of 2013, a 20 percent uptick on the respectable $5 billion raised in the first quarter of this year. In the period public companies led the way, taking advantage of their ever improving share values to conduct public financings.
Heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is the leading cause of death for both men and women. With so many Americans succumbing to the disease every year it is not surprising that a significant number of biopharmaceutical companies are concentrating their efforts on developing new therapies targeting various cardiovascular disorders. A new report from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) has identified 215 potential therapies currently in the pipeline indicated for heart disease and stroke.
Global concern that research and development to discover new antibiotics has languished in recent years has not escaped the attention of policymakers. The subject was high on the agenda at the meeting of G8 science ministers, who met in London June 12 ahead of the G8 summit in Northern Ireland.
It has been 10 years since the international human genome project (HGP) was officially declared completed two years ahead of schedule. This monumental undertaking has helped fuel the biopharmaceutical sector to its current lofty heights and one of the reasons that bioscience discoveries in overdrive can be traced back to the completion of the sequencing of the human genome.
