Latest News

Top 10 pharma companies have over $120 billion in cash for mergers and acquisitions

June 14, 2023 | EL PAÍS

Pharmaceutical giants have accumulated sizable war chests to buy up rivals. Scope Group, a financial ratings firm, reports that the world’s 10 largest pharmas collectively have $120 billion (€111 billion) in cash on their balance sheets. “The pharmaceutical sector will remain one of the few industry sectors where M&A [mergers and acquisitions] remains buoyant despite rising interest rates, but large mergers and cross-border transactions are not likely,” stated a report by Olaf Tölke, Scope’s director of corporate ratings.

Back to top

Big Pharma dealmaking recovers with $85bn M&A splurge

June 11, 2023 | Financial Times

Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email [email protected] to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour. https://www.ft.com/content/e03d746c-e74c-4e95-8d12-d1edef2880d7 Pharmaceutical and biotech companies spent $85bn on acquisitions in the first five months of the year, marking a dramatic recovery in dealmaking as they seek to replenish their drug pipelines. The surge in M&A, compared to just $35.6bn in deals in the same period of 2022 and $49.1bn the year before, according to Stifel, an investment bank, is being fuelled by large cash reserves amassed by Big Pharma during the coronavirus pandemic and investor concerns about future growth prospects.

Back to top

Layoffs and shutdowns hit biotech industry in U-turn

February 10, 2023 | The Wall Street Journal

The joy ride for biotech is over. For a decade, the companies flourished, flush with cash, and fueled by excitement over new technologies such as cell therapy, gene editing and messenger RNA. But biotechs have laid off thousands of staffers in recent months, and several have shut down. Stock offerings have flagged, while the index of publicly traded biotech stocks has plunged. “What you’re now seeing is a filtering of the haves and have nots, between companies that have great assets and pipelines with the ability to raise capital and companies with bleaker prospects that struggle to raise capital and stay in business,” said Michael Yee, a Jefferies biotech analyst.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Expanesthetics has maintained its staff with no downsizing for the last several years.

Back to top

FDA no longer needs to require animal tests before human drug trials

January 10, 2023 | Science.org

New medicines need not be tested in animals to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, according to legislation signed by President Joe Biden in late December 2022. The change—long sought by animal welfare organizations—could signal a major shift away from animal use after more than 80 years of drug safety regulation.

Back to top

Expensive prescription drugs are a bargain

September 13, 2022 | The Wall Street Journal

This opinion piece describes aspects of the Inflation Reduction Act that may hamper pharmaceutical innovation: "The Inflation Reduction Act has eight provisions intended to reduce future drug prices. Some observers were surely pleased that Congress gave the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services new powers to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies. They shouldn’t have been. The Inflation Reduction Act won’t noticeably reduce inflation and it will do little or nothing to lower the cost of healthcare. Forcing drug companies to charge lower prices will likely lead to fewer new drugs."

Back to top