In April 2024, BioWorld reported on 323 updates on phase I-III clinical trials, marking a 24% increase from March’s 261 updates.

The med-tech sector experienced some relief in the first quarter of 2024 (1Q24) as total financings climbed to $6.38 billion, eclipsing the value of any quarter in 2023. For perspective, the final quarter of 2023 recorded $3.32 billion, and 1Q23 raised $4.69 billion, with an average of $4.42 billion in financings per quarter in 2023.

In April, the U.S. FDA approved 26 new drugs, the sixth-highest monthly total going back to 2016. This is slightly lower than March’s record-setting 30 approvals, the highest count in BioWorld’s records. By comparison, the FDA approved an average of about 16 drugs per month in 2023, 12.5 per month in 2022, and 17 per month in both 2021 and 2020.

Biopharma companies have announced additional layoffs and restructurings in the past few weeks, after more than 7,800 job cuts were reported by BioWorld this year through late April. Through mid-May, total layoffs in the biopharma sector have increased to 9,848.

In April, the value of biopharma deals climbed to $15.28 billion, increasing 84% from March’s $8.29 billion and also up from February’s $7.76 billion, though there was a decline from January’s $27.9 billion. This amounts to a monthly average of $14.86 billion in deal value for 2024, compared to the $18.14 billion monthly average in 2023. Meanwhile, the value of biopharma M&As dipped to $1.33 billion for the month, marking the lowest figure in nearly a year.

Med-tech deal value increased in April, reaching $172.37 million, a 538% bump from March’s $27 million. However, the monthly average for deal value in 2024 stands at $140.68 million, reflecting an 84% decline from the 2023 monthly average of $886.13 million.

The BioWorld Infectious Disease Index (BIDI) has continued to decline in the first four months of 2024, finishing April with a year-to-date decrease of 25.12%. BIDI trailed both the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index, which saw a 4.76% downturn by April’s end, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which closed the month with a 0.34% increase for the year. In 2023, BIDI ended the year with a 43.48% decline, preceded by an 83.57% drop in 2022.

In April, the value of biopharma deals climbed to $15.28 billion, increasing 84% from March’s $8.29 billion and also up from February’s $7.76 billion, though there was a decline from January’s $27.9 billion. This amounts to a monthly average of $14.86 billion in deal value for 2024, compared to the $18.14 billion monthly average in 2023. Meanwhile, the value of biopharma M&As dipped to $1.33 billion for the month, marking the lowest figure in nearly a year.

Although the $6.03 billion in biopharma financings raised in April is down from $13.84 billion in financings in March and $22.3 billion in February, the monthly average of $13.29 billion for all financings is up 125% from the average of $5.91 billion a month in 2023.

The med-tech industry has seen a surge in financings activities in the first four months of 2024.