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Biopharma Quarterly Dealmaking Statistics, Q3 2018

A look at financing, M&A and alliance activity July-September 2018

 
• By Amanda Micklus and Maureen Riordan

Biopharma financing reached $14.6 billion in the third quarter, a 15% increase over Q2, while merger and acquisitions, at $7.7 billion (the lowest quarter of the year so far), showed a sharp decline. Alliance value reached $20.3 billion, far exceeding the $13.8 billion from Q2.

Biopharma financing value for 2018's third quarter reached $14.6 billion, an 18% increase over Q2's $12.4 billion, but still did not attain the $16.6 billion high achieved in Q1. Much of the growth was due to an almost doubling of debt financings during Q3 to 22 transactions ($1.7 billion) versus the 12 completed in Q2 (for $903 million), representing an 83% increase in dollar value. Follow-on public offerings again dominated as the deal type bringing in the most dollars. Q3 FOPOs accounted for 37% of all financings (with 15 transactions topping the $100 million mark), led by immunotherapy and gene editing firm bluebird bio Inc.'s $601 million offering [See Deal]. (See Exhibit 1.) Bluebird itself invested $10 million in partner Gritstone Oncology's August $21 million Series C round [See Deal]. (Gritsone later went on to net $93 million in an October IPO [See Deal].) Under an August alliance, Gritstone plans to use its EDGE neoantigen platform to help bluebird discover and develop new cell therapies [See Deal].

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