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Finance Watch: IPOs At A Standstill As US Biotech Stock Valuations Plummet

First Three Major Launches Of The Year Holding Steady

 
• By Mandy Jackson and Ayisha Sharma

There have been no biopharma initial public offerings in the US since 12 January while the industry’s valuations have plummeted by double digits since the start of 2022. Nevertheless, venture capital investment continues at a fast pace and there have been some follow-on public offerings.

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• Source: Shutterstock

To say that 2022 has gotten off to a rough start for investors that back biopharmaceutical companies would be an understatement. The Nasdaq Biotechnology Index (NBI) is down 14.3% year-to-date and the XBI, a closely watched biotech fund, is down an even more painful 20.1% as of 28 January.

Overall biotech stock performance combined with the performance of recent initial public offerings – companies that went public in 2021 delivered an average return of -25.3% by the end of last year – seems to have put a hold on new IPOs. No biopharma companies have launched an IPO in the US since 12 January when Hillstream BioPharma, Inc. priced a small $15m offering. (Also see "Finance Watch: SPACs Lose Their Luster As Difficulties Mount" - Scrip, 18 January, 2022

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