Pharma Intelligence is part of the Informa Intelligence Division of Informa PLC
This is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.
It had been a slow start to the year but one unusually large financing round from cancer diagnostics company Grail means the first quarter of 2017 has now outpaced the performance from any in the previous four years.
One big-buck deal can make all the difference and the $900m raised by Illumina-spinout, Grail, in March more than lifted 2017 out of the doldrums and shot the first quarter's total deal value to a five-year high. (See infographic for Q1 key facts and figures).
Some 20 financing deals of $1m-and-over passed Medtech Insight's news desk in March, the same volume as February. However, last month not only saw the first nine-figure transaction of the year, there were more deals towards the $30m-plus end of the value range. (see Figure 1).
Figure 1
No. of deals by amount raised, Mar 2017 vs Feb 2017 vs Mar 2016
When comparing first-quarter deal value across a five-year period, 2017 rises head and shoulders above the previous years. (See Table 1 and Figure 2).
Q1 deal value, 2013-2017
Source:Medtech Insight's VC deal tracker
Grail had been hoping to raise around $100m more before the end of the quarter to close the series B round at over $1bn, but as this article went to press, there had been no news of any additional funding. Johnson & Johnson Innovation was the biggest investor in the $900m first tranche, with the participation of ARCH Venture Partners, as well as certain well-known names in the pharma, tech and medtech space, such as Bristol- Myers Squibb, Celgene, Merck, Amazon and Varian Medical Systems. Of course, Chinese players are now ubiquitous in these types of investments and Grail's investor from the East comes in the form of China's leading internet services provider Tencent Holdings.
Grail was spun out of Illumina last year, and – as its name indicates – is on the mission to develop a simple blood test that can screen for cancer at an early stage.
The second largest fundraising in March came from Freenome, which also has a similar focus to Grail, that being to develop liquid biopsy tests that use cell-free DNA circulating in the blood to allow earlier and better diagnosis of disease. What's commendable about Freenome's deal is that it was an impressive $65m series A, an unusually large amount for an early-stage round. Freenome also has some big tech names backing it, including Google Ventures.
Orthopedics attracted a lot of the big bucks in March, with three companies in this space featured in the month's top 5 biggest deals. (See Table 2).
Figure 2
No. of VC deals, based on product/therapy sector
Source:Medtech Insight's VC deal tracker
How the venture financing climate will look in the coming months is hard to predict. M&A activity this year to date has been very quiet, with many transactions being more about acquisitions of mid-sized assets to consolidate the buyer's presence in its respective market, rather than a technology buy to fill portfolio gaps. That said, there is a still a lot of time for the tables to turn and if Grail does complete its series B with another $100m in the bag over the next few months, and the flow of bigger buck-deals start picking up like it did for March, 2017 may end on a better note than it started.
From the editors of Clinica
Medtech Insight: global medical technology news & analysis
14 May 2021
Tyler Binney has left NeoTract to take the role of chief executive officer at Relievant Medsystems. Indigo Diabetes has appointed...
Medtech Insight: global medical technology news & analysis
By Reed Miller 14 May 2021
In this edition of Device Week, Medtech Insight’s Marion Webb reviews some informative sessions at the AdvaMed Medtech Conference last...
Medtech Insight: global medical technology news & analysis
By Shawn Schmitt 14 May 2021
In a move that will undoubtedly ruffle industry feathers, the US Medicare agency on 14 May issued a final rule...
Request a Trial
Whether you’re a small biotech start-up, research firm, generic manufacturer or a global pharmaceutical giant, you need focused, independent insight and opinion on market developments.
How can we help you?
Our team is always happy to hear from you. Please call us at:
Pharma Report Store
Have an immediate and specific information need?
Browse and buy from 1000s of analysis and research reports now:
In the continually evolving medtech competitive landscape, it is vital to stay up-to-date with key events. With Meddevicetracker, you’ll be able to anticipate upcoming filings, research clinical trial dates and data, and access market size information and expert forecasts, all in one place.
Get a window into what the leading players across the biopharma, medtech, and diagnostics industries are thinking, as well as important insight into what your competitors are doing. Build your strategy with In Vivo.
Looking for more products Product Finder
