Nonprofit deals with biopharma companies in 2022 indicate that 92% of the disclosed funds are going toward infectious disease therapies, with COVID-19 accounting for 79% of the total.

While BioWorld’s Biopharmaceutical Index remains down slightly from the end of last year, recent gains by several companies suggest the industry may be beginning to bounce back.

While Pfizer Inc. remains active with mergers and acquisitions, Sanofi SA and Bristol Myers Squibb Co. are major players in the top six biopharma deals of 2022. So far this year, the industry has announced 769 deals, including licensings, joint ventures and collaborations, valued at $88.9 billion.

In sharp contrast with its up and down rhythm of 2021, the BioWorld Infectious Disease Index (BIDI) is mostly down this year, having fallen 63.4% to date. The index ended last year up by 10.4%, which was its lowest point. In 2020, when the SARS-CoV-2 infection became a global focus, BIDI was up by 144%.

Venture capital remains the primary driver of biopharma financings in 2022, accounting for 48.7% of all financings for the year. That is dramatically more than 2021 when 31% of the money raised by this point came through VC rounds. In 2020, the amount was only 18%.

After a sharp drop in April, BioWorld’s Drug Developers Index is beginning to rise, although it is not yet showing what many investors would like to see, and it remains at one of its lowest points in 18 months.