Volume and value of pharma/biotech M&A slowed down in 2016

Worldwide merger and acquisition activity in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector in 2016 was plentiful, but well down in numbers and values on that seen in the previous two years.

The number of transactions announced in 2016 was 130, according to The Pharma Letter tracking (see full table below) compared with 166 M&A deals in 2015 – which was a record year – and 137 in 2014. Moreover, the number of M&A transactions valued at in excess of $1 billion mark was also well down at just 23 in 2016, versus 30 in 2015 and 26 in 2014.

The total value of the top 10 completed deals in the first half of 2016 amounted to $67.2 billion versus $190.4 billion in first-half 2015, according to a KPMG report earlier this year.