IPO Update: Booming Biopharma On Pace For Another Record Year

62 Drug Developers Went Public In First Half Of 2021

Only 25 more initial public offerings are needed for 2021 to beat 2020’s record-breaking 86 IPOs. However, the average return for this year’s offerings is just 1.1% as of 1 July versus 11% at the end of the first quarter.

IPO on a colorful background
62 firms went public during the first half of 2021 versus 86 in all of 2020 • Source: Alamy

With 62 biopharmaceutical company initial public offerings in the US during the first half of 2021, this year is on track to beat 2020’s record-setting total of 86 drug developer IPOs. If drug developer valuations, which took a hit earlier this year, continue to improve during the second half, 2021 could outpace 2020 before the end of the third quarter, given the current pace of first-time offerings – 31 per quarter versus last year’s pace of 21 IPOs per quarter.

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