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.
Finance Watch: IPOs At A Standstill As US Biotech Stock Valuations Plummet
First Three Major Launches Of The Year Holding Steady
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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CEO Kris Elverum told Scrip about the start-up’s platform for editing RNA to correct genetic variants that cause harm and to reproduce healthy variants as a means of treating disease.
The four-year-old firm said it plans to advance programs toward the clinic from the funding round, which comes just over a year after signing two major pharma partnerships.
Private Company Edition: The latest group of drug developers to announce venture capital financings is remarkable for its geographic diversity, from Character Biosciences’ $93m series B round in the US to Augustine’s $85m series B in Belgium to a $29.2m series C for Aculys in Japan.
Kyoto-based venture moves HQ to California to expand R&D and business outreach for its regulatory T-cell technology, as it raises around $46m in public and private funding.
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After failing a Phase II monotherapy study in early Parkinson’s, Cerevance will focus on adjunctive therapy without abandoning the monotherapy concept.
The firm has lofty ambitions for the aldosterone synthase inhibitor to treat hypertension and kidney disease.
Supply chain disruption fears at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic caused drug over-ordering. Imminent tariffs on drugs may have had a similar effect on pharma sales in Q1 earnings season.