The biotech industry delivered another year of strong headline performance in 2025, yet beneath the surface, a growing divide between the industry’s haves and have-nots is reshaping every dimension of how companies raise money, build pipelines and navigate an increasingly volatile policy environment. That is the message of the EY Biotech Beyond Borders Report 2026, an annual industry analysis produced by EY Insights that framed the sector’s defining challenge in a single question: “How can biopharma keep its balance?”

Total biopharma financing through the first five months of 2026 reached $49.46 billion, the third-highest total for the period in the dataset and more than doubling of 2025’s $21.4 billion over the same stretch.

Total med-tech financing through the first five months of 2026 reached $11.01 billion, falling between 2024’s $12.76 billion and 2023’s $8.95 billion over the same period, and trailing 2025’s $14.83 billion.

Total biopharma financing through the first five months of 2026 reached $49.46 billion, the third-highest total for the period in the dataset and more than doubling of 2025’s $21.4 billion over the same stretch.

The BioWorld Neurological Diseases Index (BNDI) ended May up 12.29% for the year, outpacing both the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index (up 4.95%) and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (up 6.18%), a reversal from 2025 when the BNDI trailed both broader benchmarks.

BioWorld tracked 143 clinical trial readouts across phases I through III in April 2026, down from 209 in March, but roughly in line with 152 in February and 144 in January. By phase, April’s readouts included 47 from phase I, 59 from phase II and 37 in phase III. Among phase III programs, 15 trials reported positive results and two failed to meet primary endpoints.

The BioWorld Drug Developers Index (BDDI) outpaced both the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average throughout the first four months of 2026. Starting the year in step with the broader indices, the BDDI pulled ahead steadily – climbing 4.41% year-to-date through January, 6.42% through February and 7.73% through March, before finishing April up 10.69% for the year.

The U.S. FDA granted 14 approvals in April 2026, down from March’s 19 but broadly in line with the historical range for the month.

Biopharma stocks, as measured on the BioWorld Biopharmaceutical Index, underperformed both the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average through the first four months of 2026.

Biopharma deal value through the first four months of 2026 reached $92.98 billion, outpacing every recent year and running well ahead of 2025’s strong $79.82 billion over the same period. January and February each cleared $30 billion, while March and April totaled $18.05 billion and $13.3 billion, respectively.