The biopharmaceutical industry cheered Third Harmonic Bio’s sizeable initial public offering in mid-September but the IPO market in the US has gone quiet since then as broader stock indices – including biotechnology indices and exchange-traded funds – have faltered due to macroeconomic concerns, such as inflation and rising interest rates. Therefore, an alternative to a traditional IPO seems to be gaining momentum once again.
Finance Watch: SPAC Deals Emerge As IPO Market Goes Quiet Again
Three Firms Seize Opportunity To List Via Mergers
Public Company Edition: Direct Biologics, YishengBio and Estrella Biopharma will go public by merging with special purpose acquisition corporations. Also, Vir lands a government contract worth up to $1bn, Idorsia raises CHF164m ($167.4m) in a real estate deal and Adamis reviews alternatives.

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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.
The Belgian firm banks nearly €77.7m to push its Charcot-Marie-Tooth to proof-of-concept.
A new report from a domestic institute on South Korea’s biopharma M&A trends shows a pickup in activity, but that this remains relatively weak and small-scale. It calls for broader domestic government support to build expertise, drive innovation and globalization.
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Stakeholders are pleading for newly confirmed FDA Commissioner Martin Makary to stand up for the agency's high scientific standards and staff as he begins his term.
Plus deals involving Relmada/Trigone, Alvotech/Xbrane, OPKO Health/Entera, iOncologi/TargImmune and more.
With its exon 53-skipping candidate already showing promise in 24-week data, Wave now has 48-week data showing improvements in muscle health and functional outcomes.