Last 4 years cancer deals4 Oct 2018 21:02
“Here are the key takeaways from the last 4 years (2013-2017):
Most active investors: Celgene has been a key player in cancer therapeutics with its participation in 23 investments. Other active corporate investors include the venture arms of Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, and Boehringer Ingelheim, each with over 15 participating deals in this space.
Most well-funded companies backed by AstraZeneca: AstraZeneca participated in late-stage funding rounds for the top 2 most well-funded companies, Moderna Therapeutics ($1.3B) and ADC Therapeutics ($475M). They are also AstraZeneca’s only cancer therapy investments in the last 5 years.
Focus on mid-stage deals: 7 of the 12 top corporate investors participated in more mid-stage (Series B, Series C) deals over other stages. SR One, venture arm of GlaxoSmithKline, contributed to 12 such deals out of its total 18 cancer therapy investments.
Key early-stage investors: All 13 of Merck Ventures’ cancer therapy deals were either Seed / Angel or Series A rounds. Another early-stage player is Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund with its participation in 12 of these deals out of its total 16 cancer therapy investments.
Novartis leads co-investments: Novartis Venture Funds (NVF) co-invested with other big pharma venture arms in 5 out of its 12 unique cancer therapy companies. For example, Bicycle Therapeutics, which develops targeted drugs that deliver toxins to tumor cells, had backing from NVF, SR One, and Astellas Venture Management.”