With a few weeks left in the year, the biopharma industry has raised a total of $116.18 billion through 1,506 transactions, both of which are second only to 2020.

It was a busy year for biopharma deals, but as 2021 nears its end, activity is lagging 2020. BioWorld recorded 1,844 deals valued at $182 billion in 2021 vs. 2,067 deals valued at $198.2 billion for 2020. That puts 2021 behind last year on the volume of deals by more than 10% and on value by about 8%, but there are still three weeks to go.

Financings ramped up dramatically in 2015 with $68 billion collected, but the amount does not touch biopharma investment in the last two years. The industry has raised $113 billion in 2021, down from the $134.5 billion full year 2020 total, but more than every five-year combination total from the years 2000 to 2014. It is an increase of 65% over 2015, 200% over 2016, 118% over 2017, 68% over 2018 and 95% over 2019. Both IPOs ($23.7 billion) and venture capital rounds ($37.8 billion) have hit all-time records this year. But will the onslaught of money continue for the industry?

As the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in early 2020 and med-tech companies stepped up with numerous diagnostic and telehealth solutions, the availability of funding sources began to soar. The med-tech industry has raised a total of $46.9 billion so far in 2021 through 636 financings.