1. Scrip
  2. >>Business
  3. >>Strategy

Merlin's Consolidation Wizardry

 
• By Roger Longman

If there is plenty of start-up capital in Europe, the problem is at the next financing stages, says Chris Evans, the founder and chairman of Merlin Biosciences. Not even a small fraction of the current start-ups will be able to raise their next round of funding. Merlin's hands-on venture investing will lead it to play the consolidator among Europe's start-ups.

While America weathers its biotech ice age, Europe still enjoys a biotech spring. Start-ups continue to sprout—particularly in Germany, but in France and England as well. Germany still subsidizes private investors in start-ups, at what is sometimes better than a two-to-one basis (see "Germany's Biotech Boomlet,"START-UP, February 1998). The British national and local governments promote, with significant funding, tech transfer from university to start-up with "university challenges" and "enterprise challenges."

But if there is plenty of start-up capital, says Chris Evans, the founder and chairman of Merlin Biosciences and founder...

Read the full article – start your free trial today!

Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on Scrip for daily insights

  • Start your 7-day free trial
  • Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
  • Access comprehensive global coverage
  • Enjoy instant access – no credit card required
Start Free Trial

Already a subscriber?

More from Strategy

BIO Notebook: IPO Window Stays Shut, PRVs Need To Be A Priority, And Focusing On Gene Therapy Safety

 
• By Mandy Jackson and Sarah Karlin-Smith

Highlights from day one of the BIO convention include advice for firms hoping to go public, a call for companies to push the US Congress on rare disease priority review vouchers, and updates on next-generation gene therapies.

Sarepta Market Dynamics For Elevidys Imperiled By Second Patient Death

 
• By Joseph Haas

With two deaths in non-ambulatory DMD patients, Sarepta is attempting damage control and will ask the US FDA to advise, setting up a possible confrontation with CBER director Prasad.

Supernus Secures Sage With CVR-Supported Deal

 
• By Jessica Merrill

Supernus agreed to pay $561m upfront plus a contingent value right that could add $234m to buy Sage, topping a previously rejected offer from Biogen.

Early Blood Cancer Data Impresses As Incyte Plots Post-Jakafi Strategy

 
• By Kevin Grogan

First results for a first-in-class mutCALR-targeted therapy in essential thrombocythemia presented at EHA point to a lucrative future for the early-stage product.

More from Business

Early Blood Cancer Data Impresses As Incyte Plots Post-Jakafi Strategy

 
• By Kevin Grogan

First results for a first-in-class mutCALR-targeted therapy in essential thrombocythemia presented at EHA point to a lucrative future for the early-stage product.

Quick Listen: Scrip’s Five Must-Know Things

 
• By Ian Haydock

In this week's episode: breaking down big pharma’s executive pay; US vaccine panel upheaval; Merck’s RSV approval; MFN and Japan; and the future of Pfizer and Arvinas’s partnership.

UroGen Gets A First-Ever Bladder Cancer Approval Despite US FDA AdComm ‘No’ Vote

 
• By Joseph Haas

UroGen’s Zusduri was approved despite an advisory committee vote recommending against it in May. It is the first approved drug for a type of recurring bladder cancer.