MPM/Novartis Fund Deals with Radius

In mid-September, the MPM Capital/Novartis investment fund closed a $10 million investment in Radius Health -- getting an option on Radius's Phase II osteoporosis candidate and the first evidence that its strategy of melding business development with VC can work. And that's why the outcome will be important to watch. If the Radius deal is followed by others, Big Pharma will try to copy the model. If the deal is seen as preventing Radius from getting a profitable exit for its investors, serving Novartis' needs at their expense, corporate VC will go back to the drawing board.