When it involves startup investments, large financing rounds and mergers and acquisitions for pharmaceutical corporations are quite common.
Rarely, nonetheless, the top search results for their area of expertise contain a link to International Atomic Energy Agency.
However, in the area of radiopharmaceuticals, the agency is proving to be one of the most prolific publishers of reports and explanations. Its involvement coincides with growing investment in these therapies, which use radioactive types of chemical elements called radioisotopes to treat cancer and other diseases.
Last week we witnessed each one of the largest rounds of financing and one of the largest mergers and acquisitions transactions for this space so far.
When it involves financing, Germany Isotope Technologies Munich closed on just over $200 million in a capital round led by Temasek Holding.
Isotope Technologies says the money will probably be used in part to arrange for the potential launch of a drug for a style of neuroendocrine cancer that is currently in late-stage clinical trials. It also plans to expand its production capabilities and supplies of medical isotopes for cancer treatment.
Meanwhile, on the mergers and acquisitions side, the subsidiary AstraZeneca he accomplished his purchase With Fusion Pharmaceuticals, a developer of oncology radiopharmaceuticals, for $2.1 billion plus as much as $300 million in milestone payments. Hamilton, Ontario-based Fusion, founded in 2014, went public 4 years ago.
A growing variety of recently financed corporations
Meanwhile, enterprise funding continues to flow. Behind Crunchbase dataover the past two years, at least 12 private radiopharmaceutical corporations have raised enterprise or development financing. The corporations in our sample below have raised nearly $1.3 billion in funding so far.
This is a relatively young list, with six corporations that were founded lower than 4 years ago. Meanwhile, in the entire list, most of the funds also got here from the last few years.
A hot area for IPOs and acquisitions
Looking at the valuations of leading radiopharmaceutical corporations by public investors and large acquirers, you’ll be able to see why startup investors could be enthusiastic.
Fusion wasn’t the only multibillion-dollar merger and acquisition deal in the radiopharmaceuticals industry in recent months, or even the largest. In February, Bristol-Myers Squibb accomplished the takeover Rayze Biography, a developer of radiopharmaceuticals for cancer treatment, for $4.1 billion. San Diego-based Rayze just went public in September.
Of course, it wasn’t just valuations that caught the attention of startup investors. We are also seeing promising results from clinical trials for treatments for some of humanity’s most difficult-to-treat diseases.