Zoetis IPO Caps Strong Month for Life Sciences Financings

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - Feb 1, 2013) - Life sciences financing activity got a strong start in the new year as companies raised $10.3 billion in January. The Pfizer animal health unit Zoetis was responsible for more than half the activity through a debt offering and the largest IPO since Facebook debuted in May 2012. The robust activity dwarfed the $4.2 billion raised during the same period a year ago, according to Burrill & Company.

Companies raised more than $6 billion during the month through debt offerings. This included Zoetis' heavily oversubscribed $3.7 billion bond deal ahead of its IPO. It also included nearly $1.3 billion in debt offerings from nine smaller therapeutics companies, as well as nearly $700 million raised in two medical device company financings.

The Zoetis IPO priced at $26, above its expected $22 to $25 range. Three other companies, LipoScience, an in vitro diagnostic company; Stemline Therapeutics, which is developing therapies that target cancer stem cells; and KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, a developer of next-generation antibodies, raised a combined $153 million through initial public offerings. That compares to $135 million raised through IPOs on U.S. exchanges a year ago. Almost $1.6 billion was raised by follow-ons in January, tripling January 2012's total, and reflecting the improved environment for public therapeutics companies seeking to raise capital.

"Enthusiasm in the market for life sciences has picked up following a positive JPMorgan Healthcare Conference, a strong year of FDA approvals capped with a flurry of activity in December, and the impressive returns the sector provided in 2012," says G. Steven Burrill, CEO of Burrill & Company, a global financial services firm focused exclusively on the life sciences. "Though the activity is encouraging, capital continues to be expensive and difficult to access for many companies, particularly those that have not yet commercialized products."

On the venture capital front, life sciences companies globally raised nearly $1.1 million in January, about the same as a year ago. That included the $294 million investment in Brazil-based GraalBio, which will use the funding to develop cellulosic ethanol technologies at its first commercial facility located in Alagoas, Brazil. The $709 million raised by U.S.-based companies in January, though, is down about 14 percent from activity a year ago.

Global M&A activity for January reached $4.5 billion, down 32 percent from a year ago. Botox-maker Allergan's $958 million acquisition of MAP Pharmaceuticals, its partner in developing the experimental orally-inhaled migraine drug Levadex, was the largest transaction for the month. The acquisition reflects an effort by Allergan to expand its offerings to neurologists and pain specialists. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to decide on whether it will approve Levadex in April.

Global partnering deals fell to $2.1 billion in January, a 56 percent decline from levels a year ago. Gilead Sciences' collaboration with MacroGenics -- worth up to $1.1 billion -- covers the development and commercialization of bi-specific antibodies directed at four undisclosed targets chosen by Gilead. The biotech's proprietary Dual Affinity Re-Targeting platform, or DART, can engineer antibodies that can target multiple antigens, an area of growing interest among drug developers as they seek to increase the efficacy of their therapies by hitting multiple targets at the same time.

"The low numbers for partnering activity extend a downturn seen in 2012 in part because of fewer financial terms being disclosed," says Burrill. "But it also reflects a shift among larger pharmaceutical companies focusing more of their attention to academic and non-profit research institutions as they look for discovery- and early-stage candidates."

The FDA in January approved a trio of new drug treatments for type 2 diabetes. All three drugs, Nesina, Kazano, and Oseni will be distributed by Takeda Pharmaceutical and include the new molecular entity alogliptin, developed through a partnership between Takeda and Furiex Pharmaceuticals. Alogliptin helps stimulate the release of insulin after a meal, which leads to better blood sugar control. Nesina tablets contain alogliptin alone, while Kazano combines alogliptin with the already-approved metformin hydrochloride and Oseni combines it with pioglitazone.

The agency also approved Kynamro, a new injectable cholesterol-lowering drug co-developed by Genzyme and Isis Pharmaceuticals, despite liver safety concerns. Kynamro, also known as mipomersen, is approved to treat people with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, an inherited condition that causes high levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels beginning at birth, and heart attacks at an early age. The approval comes about one month after Aegerion Pharmaceuticals won U.S. approval for Juxtapid, another medicine for the disorder that comes in pill form.

The European Commission announced the winners of its Future and Emerging Technologies Flagship Initiative, the largest single science competition to be held in Europe to date. Each will receive $1.36 billion (EUR 1 billion) over ten years. The Human Brain Project was named as one of the winners. It will create the world's largest experimental brain research facility and seeks to develop a detailed model of the human brain so researchers can study how it works and ultimately develop personalized treatments for neurological and related diseases.

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine -- California's stem cell agency backed by a $3 billion ballot initiative -- said its board has adopted a framework of proposals that could "dramatically change some aspects of its work." The proposals are aimed at addressing criticism over potential conflicts of interest in the way the board decides how to allocate grants and come in response to a series of recommendations from the Institute of Medicine. The IOM made those recommendations as part of a report requested by the agency, which was seeking an independent assessment of its programs, operations, strategies, and performance.

"CIRM's funding is expected to last about four more years, but there are many who hope it will have a life that extends well beyond that period," says Burrill. "It's vital that it has credibility and the public's trust if it is to continue its mission far into the future."

About Burrill & Company
Founded in 1994, Burrill & Company is a diversified global financial services firm focused on the life sciences industry. With $1.5 billion in assets under management, the firm's businesses include venture capital/private equity, merchant banking, and media. By leveraging the scientific and business networks of its team, Burrill & Company has established unrivaled access and visibility in the life sciences industry. This unique combination of resources and capabilities enables the company to provide life sciences companies with capital, transactional support, management expertise, insight, market intelligence, and analysis through its investments, conferences, and publications. Headquartered in San Francisco, the company oversees a global network of offices throughout the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. For more information visit: www.burrillandco.com.