2022 | Optimum’s Year in Review

It’s nearly the end of 2022! It was an exciting year for Optimum’s clients which demonstrated the resilience and creativity that has made the life sciences industry so successful. We have outlined below a small fraction of the activity that has kept us busy this year:

Deal, deals, deals

As usual, 2022 was a year where we saw many deals. Synaffix had an incredible year with a string of high-profile deals, including $415 million with Genmab and $586 million with MacroGenics. These deals and others helped Synaffix’s strong showing in the LSX European Lifestars Awards, where the firm picked up the Biotech Company of the Year gong, as well as scooping the Business Development Team of The Year prize at the Scrip Awards.

Novo Holdings announced a number of portfolio company investments and exits. Syndesi Therapeutics was acquired by AbbVie Inc. for up to $1 billion, Reviral was acquired by Pfizer for $525million, and BioPhero was acquired by FMC Corporation for $200 million.

F2G and Shionogi & Co. Ltd announced a $480 million strategic collaboration to develop and commercialise olorofim, a new antifungal agent.  F2G also raised $70 million co-led by new investors Forbion and Sofinnova Partners.

Medicxi-backed companies, Villaris Therapeutics was acquired by Incyte for a total deal value of $1.36 billion, and MiroBio was acquired by Gilead for c.$405 million.

ImaginAb signed multiple partnership agreements with companies including Bayer, Genmab and DongCheng Pharmaceutical.

Fundraisings, Company Launches and more awards!

Our clients continued to raise record breaking financings over the year. These included SpliceBio, which raised €50 million in an oversubscribed Series A financing, and Precirix which raised €80 million Series B financing. Both companies’ success was acknowledged with wins at LSX’s European Lifestars Awards.

Pheon Therapeutics launched with a $68 million Series A financing backed by Brandon Capital, Atlas Venture, Forbion and RCT.

Following the successful Phase 3 ENHANCE-2 trial, Verona Pharma completed a $150 million equity financing and $150 million debt financing.

Sofinnova and Apollo announced a long term and strategic partnership in life sciences. Sofinnova Chairman, Antoine Papiernik won the Most Significant Contribution to the Mediscience Sector award at the European Mediscience Awards, and the firm was also awarded Venture Capital Firm of the Year at the LSX European Lifestars Awards.

We were also delighted to see Calliditas win the coveted Company of the Year at the European Mediscience Awards.

Biocomposites won not one but two Queen’s Awards for Enterprise for Innovation and International Trade in April, one of only seven organisations to achieve such a feat in 2022.

We were also delighted to announce that the CSO of ISA Pharma, Professor Kees Melief, was awarded two of the highest honours at SITC Professor Melief to receive 2022 SITC Pedro J. Romero Award

STORM Therapeutics was a winner of the prestigious Fierce 15, designating it as one of the most exciting biotechnology companies in the industry. This award highlights STORM’s dedication to developing novel treatments for the unmet medical need of patients, and its successes at the forefront of the RNA modification field.

After such an eventful 2022, the Optimum team would like to wish you all well and hope that all your endeavours in 2023 are successful!


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