The J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference6 Jan 2026 09:04
The J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference and the co-located Biotech Showcase are major venues for deal-making in the life sciences industry, known as the "birthplace of a lot of deals". Major transactions, including multi-billion dollar mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and licensing agreements, are frequently announced during the week of these events.
Historic & Notable Deals
The conferences consistently serve as a hub for significant M&A activity, with various years marked by substantial deal announcements.
2026 Conference (Upcoming)
The 2026 events (Jan 12–15 for JPM, Jan 12–14 for Biotech Showcase) are anticipated to have strong M&A interest, building on recent momentum. Companies like Samsung BioLogics and Celltrion are scheduled to present their growth and acquisition strategies.
2025 Conference
M&A was a dominant theme at the 2025 conference, with deals exceeding $18 billion announced during the week.
Johnson & Johnson's near-$15 billion acquisition of Intra-Cellular Therapies was the largest public biotech buyout in over a year.
Eli Lilly struck a deal worth up to $2.5 billion with Scorpion Therapeutics for access to an experimental cancer therapy.
GSK acquired IDRx for up to $1.15 billion to strengthen its oncology pipeline.
Gilead Sciences announced a $1.7 billion deal, including a $250 million upfront payment, for access to Leo Pharma's preclinical inflammation drugs.
2024 Conference
Dealmaking at the 2024 conference focused on strategic acquisitions, with two major deals announced:
GSK announced plans to buy antibody maker Aiolos Bio for up to $1.4 billion.
Johnson & Johnson acquired antibody-drug conjugate developer Ambrx for $2 billion.
2023 Conference
Building off strong momentum from the end of 2022, over $3.5 billion worth of deals were announced to coincide with the 2023 conference.
Chiesi's $1.25 billion acquisition of rare disease drugmaker Amryt Pharma.
AstraZeneca's $1.3 billion buyout of CinCor Pharma for treatments for hypertension and kidney disease.