First-quarter 2011 pharma deal-making down on like 2010 period

Pharmaceutical and biotechnology deal-making in the first quarter of 2011 was down by 13% compared to the like quarter last year...but deals that are penned are more complex, spanning more products and regions and are indicative of continued trend towards specialized therapeutics, according to Life Science Analytics' MedTRACK..

The overall number of product and technology deals in the pharma and biotech space is 13% lower year-on-year and down 9% on last quarter. North America still comprises half of all deals and the EU nearly a third.

Sarah Terry, president of Life Science Analytics and the MedTRACK database, states: “Though the geographic outlay has not changed much, the complexities and areas of focus have. We see a continued trend of fewer deals but the deals that are taking place encompass more products and more regions. For example, nearly 30% of all deals span multiple regions compared to 25% in prior years.”