Continuing an upward trajectory, BioWorld’s Drug Developers Index (BDDI) has climbed more than 10% since the start of this year, following sharp drops at the end of March and May. Shares began to rebound in June and the index has shown a steady incline, similar with the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index, which is currently up 12%.
With financings falling just shy of last year, the med-tech industry has raised a total of $41.3 billion so far in 2021 through 494 financings. That is down roughly 3% from the 513 financings worth $42.46 billion by this point in 2020. Most of the money last year came through follow-on offerings and private placements, with IPOs and venture capital rounds making up only 26% of the total.
If there is one thing that potently illustrates the hope and despair of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the zigzag of BioWorld’s Infectious Disease Index. Up by nearly 64%, it is towering over both the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which are up 12.4% and 15.5%, respectively, but it has experienced several downward swings this year as well.
LONDON – Conflicting data from around the world on the extent to which the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 is reducing the effectiveness of vaccines is generating uncertainty over the need, or not, for booster programs.