With a 52% increase in patent filings and a 160% jump in research publications, the RNA technology field has exploded in the last 10 to 12 years, and the U.S. and mainland China are paving the way. Identifying seven emerging RNA innovators, Clarivate plc’s RNA Technology Companies to Watch is a new report that harnesses data and insights from both Clarivate and BioWorld.

Approval of a new depression drug, stellar phase III data for both a schizophrenia therapy and an Alzheimer’s disease candidate, as well as an accelerated approval filing for a Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy, are all reasons that BioWorld’s Neurological Diseases Index climbed from a negative position throughout much of 2022 to its 11% above-water mark as of Oct. 20.

The value of med-tech mergers and acquisitions, as well as deals, fell in the third quarter, although 2022 remains a standout year. M&As are at a five-year high, while deals are second only to 2019, in terms of overall value during the first three quarters. The volume of M&As are behind 2021, but deal volume this year remains on top.

While biopharma grants and company deals with nonprofits and government entities have dropped below each of the last two years, the volume of activity for non-pandemic-related efforts has remained steady. A total of 837 biopharma-nonprofit deals and grants combined so far this year are worth $10.8 billion, which is down by 21.6% over last year’s $13.7 billion and by 15.6% over 2021’s 992 volume. Also down are the deals and grants focused on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biopharma deals lost speed in the third quarter and are now falling behind each of the last two years, while merger and acquisition values doubled the amount from the first half of 2022. The industry completed a total of 283 deals, including licensings, collaborations and joint ventures, in Q3. They were worth a combined value of $40.98 billion, a rise of 8.3% over the second quarter but down by 28.7% from the first quarter.

A strong third quarter has pushed biopharma financings ahead of several pre-pandemic years, as follow-on offerings and private placements picked up the pace. IPOs and venture capital rounds dipped below prior quarters, but the overall amount raised so far this year has placed 2022 as the fifth best financing year among the last 10, ahead of both 2019 and 2017.

A strong third quarter has pushed biopharma financings ahead of several pre-pandemic years, as follow-on offerings and private placements picked up the pace. IPOs and venture capital rounds dipped below prior quarters, but the overall amount raised so far this year has placed 2022 as the fifth best financing year among the last 10, ahead of both 2019 and 2017.

Although U.S. President Joe Biden suggested in September that the pandemic is over, health officials insist there is still much to do in preparation for an endemic stage of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The number of weekly COVID-19 confirmed cases both globally and in the U.S. is similar with each of the last two years, but deaths from the virus are at some of the lowest levels since the pandemic began. Still, the virus will continue to evolve and circulate, and the biopharma industry will need to develop new booster vaccines, antivirals and monoclonal antibodies, among other candidates, to prepare for upcoming battles.

Despite a sharp increase in mid-August, BioWorld’s Biopharmaceutical Index  ended that month up a mere 1.4% and rose only slightly in September to 1.5% as of the 26th. It has done significantly better than the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which are down 23.2% and 19.5%, respectively.