In March, the U.S. FDA approved 30 new drugs, marking the highest monthly count in BioWorld’s records. The previous highest month of June 2020, with 29 FDA approvals, is followed by November 2017’s 27 approvals. In 2023, the FDA greenlit an average of about 16 drugs per month, 12.5 in 2022, and 17 in both 2021 and 2020. The surge in March marks a 173% increase from the 11 drugs approved in February.

Biopharma firms amassed a total of $47.07 billion in the first quarter of 2024, the second-highest quarter recorded by BioWorld since 2011, trailing only behind $48.18 billion raised in 2Q20. This robust fundraising was driven by exceptional performances in IPOs, follow-ons and public/other financings, as well as sustained trends in venture capital raises. The amount marks a 118% increase from $21.62 billion raised in the fourth quarter of 2023 and a 257% rise from 1Q23’s $13.19 billion.

In March, med-tech deal value plummeted to $27 million, a decline of 89% from February’s $255.61 million and a 75% decline from January's $107.75 million, and also falling short of the 2023 monthly average of $886.13 million.

In March, biopharma deals reached $8.29 billion, slightly higher than February’s $7.76 billion. Meanwhile, biopharma M&As amounted to $22 billion for the month. In terms of volume, March saw 104 biopharma deals, up from the 100 recorded in February, yet lower than January’s 158 and the 2023 monthly average of 115 deals.

The biopharma sector secured $13.84 billion in financings in March, marking a 38% decline from February’s $22.3 billion, yet a 27% increase from January’s $10.9 billion. In 2023, biopharma financings averaged $5.91 billion per month. March brought two biopharma IPOs, totaling $2.65 billion, driven by Galderma Group AG’s inaugural offering of more than $2 billion.

Top of FormMed-tech financings in March totaled $1.79 billion. Although a decline from February’s total, the cumulative value for the first three months of the year reached $6.02 billion, an increase from $4.69 billion during the same period the previous year.

In February 2024, BioWorld covered 236 updates on phase I-III clinical trials, showing a 6.35% decline from January 2024’s 252 updates. This figure is also lower than February 2023’s count of 258 updates. Throughout 2023, the monthly average of phase I-III updates was 305, with 2024 having an average of 244 in the first two months of the year.

In February, the U.S. FDA greenlit 11 new drugs, a slight decrease from the 14 approvals seen in the same month the previous year but an increase from January’s tally of eight FDA approvals.

In February, the U.S. FDA greenlit 11 new drugs, a slight decrease from the 14 approvals seen in the same month the previous year but an increase from January’s tally of eight FDA approvals.