The BioWorld Biopharmaceutical Index (BBI) fell through October, ending the month up just 0.98%. It remains above its low point of the year, when it was down 3.65% at the end of February.

Med-tech saw some good news in October, with total financings value reaching $1.22 billion, an increase of 89.23% from the $645.75 million in September. However, the increase didn’t make up for the broader year-over-year decline in med-tech investments.

In October, the biopharma industry secured $11.6 billion in financings, marking the highest monthly amount since June 2021 when value totaled $12.3 billion. Biopharma financings have averaged $6.1 billion per month so far in 2023, an increase from the $5.07 billion monthly average for all of 2022.

The BioWorld Cancer Index (BCI) saw its highest point of the year from April through July, when it had a run above 30%, before falling to 23.5% at the end of August. It closed Q3 up 22.96% for the year, a sharp divergence from the more extensive Nasdaq Biotechnology Index and Dow Jones Industrial Average, which are tracking down 6.16% and up 1.09%, respectively.

Clinical trial data from January-September 2023 was up 1.79% compared to the same time period last year. In the first three quarters of this year, BioWorld reported on 2,611 drugs in phase I-III, compared to 2,565 in Q1-Q3 2022. The number of trial updates is down 13.74% from 3,027 in 2021 and also down from the 2,738 in 2020, but up from 2,251 updates noted in 2019.

Out of the 30 companies comprising BioWorld’s Drug Developers Index (BDDI), 22 stocks saw a decrease in their stock prices in September, while two remained stable, and six showed positive gains. At the end of the third quarter, 80% of companies on BDDI experienced a decline in their stock values, with only six recording an increase.

The first three quarters of 2023 delivered a mix of approval news, with an uptick in U.S. FDA clearances over the previous year, but still tracking lower than 2017-2021. Global approvals are on a different trajectory, down year over year.

The official end of the COVID-19 public health emergency in the U.S. in May did not mark the end of interest and investment in the area. In the shifting landscape, attention has pivoted to new markets, emerging strains, boosters, and the commercialization and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and therapies.

Through Q3 2023 biopharma values are down 4.5% year over year, with 1,007 deals valued at $130.58 billion this year, compared to 1,179 deals worth $136.73 billion in the same time period in 2022. Biopharma deals have averaged $14.51 billion per month this year, a decrease from 2022’s average of $17.18 billion per month. September deals outpaced the average of both years, reaching $18.46 billion.