BI’s Business Development Focus Remains On Early Collaboration

Whatever the prevailing winds are in biopharma M&A, privately held Boehringer Ingelheim GMBH’s deal-making approach will remain centered on early-stage collaborations to bolster its therapeutic focus areas, such as cancer, immunology and cardiometabolic disease, US business development head Ioannis Sapountzis said during an interview at BIO’s 2018 International Convention in Boston earlier this month.

Other than a deal that took about 14 months to close from late 2015 to early 2017, in which the German pharma swapped its consumer health unit in exchange for Sanofi’s animal health business, BI maintains a focus on what Sapountzis calls “classical business development and licensing” transactions