List prices of pharmaceuticals are continuing to increase despite criticism from Congress. Because large increases in list prices commonly result in only modest increases in the price that insurers and employers pay, those that pay out-of-pocket bear the brunt of price increases. A lack of competition in specialty areas of medicine where there are few treatments allows for particularly high pricing power.
According to the report, while Neurology is the third best venture-funded class of therapeutic and pain is the most significant part of that, venture funding for neurology overall has declined about 30% since the previous five year period from 2003-2008. "Pain continued to be the most funded sub category, accounting for 30% of the Neurology funding in 2014. Over the last ten years, Pain has accounted for 42% of Neurology venture funding."
Australia could see steady biotech growth due to R&D tax incentives, a former investment banker as the country's new prime minster, and the launch earlier this year of Brandon Capital Partners' A$200 million Medical Research Commercialization Fund.
Due in part to the increasing geriatric population and the increasing number of emergency cases, the inhalation anesthesia market is expected to grow significantly for the foreseeable future.
NantKwest Inc. experienced the highest ever IPO valuation for a biotech company with no approved drugs with a valuation on the first day of public trading of $2.6B. Despite the risks of drug development, investments into mutual funds and exchange-traded funds with the word 'biotechnology' in their name reached $6.2B in the first half of 2015, compared to the $3.5B invested in all of 2014.