Obesity and diabetes drug R&D partnerships struck in 2025 represented $20.2 billion in total deal value, a new record high, according to a new report from J.P. Morgan. While IPO activity and venture investment trended downward, M&A activity was significantly higher.
Iambic’s latest financing follows the presentation of data for its breast cancer drug during the recent European Society of Medical Oncology conference. Our financing roundup includes capital raised by startups developing novel therapies immunology, metabolic disorders, genetic diseases, and more.
Zelis highlights how employers, payers, and consumers are integrating digital tools to manage healthcare costs.
Braveheart Bio is preparing to advance to Phase 3 testing in obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or oHCM. The startup says its small molecule could have safety advantages over Camzyos, a Bristol Myers Squibb capsule projected to become a blockbuster seller in this indication.
Bain Capital Private Equity led Kailera Therapeutics’ Series B financing, which will support global Phase 3 tests of KAI-9531, a weekly injectable drug that hits the same targets as Eli Lilly’s blockbuster obesity medication, Zepbound. The capital will also support development of other oral and injectable metabolic medicines in Kailera’s pipeline.
Crystalys Therapeutics’ gout drug, dotinurad, inhibits a known and validated target for treating the chronic disorder, but in a way that could be safer than other drugs. The oral small molecule was discovered and developed in Japan, where it is approved and has a safety record spanning more than 1 million gout patients.
With the new capital infusion, Sanofi Ventures’ total assets under management now tops $1.4 billion. Our recap of other financings includes startups raising money for novel therapies in development for autoimmune disease, neurological disorders, cancer, and more.
MedCity News was at the Vive conference and spoke with executives who shared their insights for the healthcare industry.
Dualitas Therapeutics designs bispecific antibodies to hit to two targets on the same immune cell, leveraging proximity biology to provide benefit beyond what’s possible with monoclonal antibody drugs. Eli Lilly and Chugai Pharmaceutical are among the investors in the immunology and inflammation startup.
LB Pharmaceuticals found enough investor interest to boost the size of its IPO, which will finance clinical trials in schizophrenia and bipolar depression. The biotech has modified an old Sanofi drug with changes intended to reduce side effects and allow less frequent dosing.
Even with venture capital fundraising slowing down, Hatteras Venture Partners was able to close two new funds for investments in seed- and early-stage companies. We also have a recap of recent financings in the biotech sector.
Draig Therapeutics’ lead drug is designed to safely target the AMPA receptor as a way of mediating the interplay between two neurotransmitters whose imbalance is associated with mood disorders. The startup is one of several that have recently raised mega rounds of financing to support programs in the clinic or entering clinical testing.
How to turn analytics into actual policy outcomes.
Antares Therapeutics spun off of Scorpion Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech that Eli Lilly acquired earlier this year. Like Scorpion, Antares is developing small molecules that go after undruggable targets in cancer.
Glycomine’s lead program is an experimental treatment for PMM2-CDG, an ultra-rare enzyme deficiency often misdiagnosed as cerebral palsy. With encouraging results from an open-label Phase 2 study, the biotech startup is now preparing for a placebo-controlled test that could potentially support a regulatory submission.
Isomorphic Labs’ financing led the way for first quarter 2025 financings, but it comes amid headwinds for the biotech sector. Biotech financing activity has been slowing down, analysts say.
Ampersand Biomedicines’ map of all tissue in the human body reveals “addresses,” identifying markers on disease targets that are not found on healthy tissue. The company aims to improve the targeting of biologic drugs in order to reduce on-target, off-tissue toxicity.
Sofinnova Partners aims to invest in 50 to 60 new companies in the life sciences. The infusion of new capital brings the VC firm’s assets under management to more than €4 billion.