A week after the first IPO of the year was priced, obesity treatment developer Metsera Inc. and renal specialist Maze Therapeutics Inc. have begun trading on Nasdaq. Metsera (NASDAQ:MTSR) surged 47% on Jan. 31 to close at $26.50 per share while Maze (NASDAQ:MAZE) barely budged, closing three-tenths of a percentage point lower on the day.
The final tally shows U.K. biotechs raised £3.5 billion (US$4.35 billion) in 2024, a stonking 93% more than in 2023, and surpassing the total in 2020, before the life sciences investment boom sparked by the pandemic. Of this, £2.1 billion was in venture capital, a 64.8% increase on 2023, while U.K biotechs attracted £1.5 billion in follow-on offerings, most of it raised by companies listed on Nasdaq.
Biopharma financings saw their third highest year, with companies collectively raising $102.15 billion in 2024, behind only 2020 and 2021. The amount marked a 44% jump from $70.97 billion in financings in 2023 and a 68% increase from $60.81 billion in 2022. The fourth quarter (Q4) contributed $15.45 billion, the lowest quarter of the year, following $16.38 billion in Q3, $23.07 billion in Q2, and a strong $47.25 billion in Q1.
Ascentage Pharma Group Corp. Ltd. has priced the first IPO of the year in the U.S. The offering of 7.32 million shares has the Suzhou, China, and Rockville, Md.-based company looking for gross proceeds of about $126.4 million, assuming a price of $17.25 per share.
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