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Fervor over top-selling drugs fuels biotech dealmaking

Jul 21, 2026, 7:16pm EDT
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Mike Blake/Reuters

Biotech is commanding attention from dealmakers and investors. Pharma companies have acquired 37 biotech firms worth at least $1 billion this year, more than all of 2025, as they race to bolster pipelines before several blockbuster drugs lose their patent protections in the coming years.

The Trump administration’s light-touch regulatory approach and windfalls from top-selling drugs are also driving M&A, the Financial Times noted.

Against this backdrop, biotech and pharma firms’ IPOs are producing some of the year’s strongest returns, outperforming many AI-related listings, Bloomberg reported. “This is the healthiest biotech IPO market we have had in a long time,” an investment banker said.

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