The biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors outsource much of their drug discovery and clinical development efforts to contract organizations. Investors’ reduced appetite for biotech is now impacting those contractors.

Featuring deals involving Novartis/Dren, Palvella/Pieris, Eyenovia/Senju, Addex/Johnson & Johnson, Agilent/BioVectra, Meitheal/Nabriva, plus tech transfer agreements and deals in brief.

Several Chinese biotech developments during the Lunar New Year break have put investors on high alert, namely the continued share price slide of Chinese biotech bellwether WuXi Apptec, Lianbio ceasing operations and I-Mab divesting its China business to become a fully US-focused company.

The three-day meeting in Carlsbad, CA, included commentary from numerous executives and investors in the cell and gene therapy space. Here are some of the biggest takeaways.