Drug Delivery: A Solution for Stronger Pipelines

In the second PharmaVentures Business Review of 2007, we focus our attention on the drug delivery sector. In the Business Report, we take a look at some of the key trends in drug delivery deal making across the past five years, including the types of deal being signed, the indication areas involved and the changes in overall deal value. We also review the key issues in drug delivery commercialisation and the industry drivers behind growth in this promising sector of the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. In Face-to-Face, Fintan Walton talks to John Patton, CSO and Co-founder of Nektar Therapeutics (then Inhale Therapeutic Systems) about the challenges he faced in setting up the firm and the company’s success to date.

The Month in Review

Analyst coverage of the following major deals and transactions from the previous month’s industry activity:

To learn more about the major deals and transactions from the previous month’s industry activity, you should view PharmaDeals Intelligence bank, a comprehensive and global source of deals information. With financial information, news alerts and legal agreements, this searchable resource, which is compiled by analysts and consultants, is an essential deal making tool.

• Cytokinetics' and Amgen's strategic alliance worth over 700 million dollars to produce novel small molecule drugs to treat heart failure
• Eli Lilly's 385 million-dollar licensing deal with Prosidion for the right to a Phase I type 2 diabetes treatment
• Ablnyx's and Boehringer Ingelheim's collaborative R&D agreement for new therapies for Alzheimer's disease - worth a potential 265 million dollars
• Genentech's licensing deal for a novel anticancer treatment with Seattle Genetics - worth over 800 million dollars
• Bristol-Myers Squibb's and AstraZeneca's 1.35 billion-dollar deal to co-develop new diabetes treatments

The Business Report

In this month’s business report, we take a look at some of the key trends in drug delivery deal making across the past five years, including the types of deal being signed, the indication areas involved and the changes in overall deal value. We also discuss some of the key issues in drug delivery commercialisation and review the industry drivers behind the promising growth in this sector of the pharmaceutical and biotech industry.

Face-to-Face

Fintan Walton talks to John Patton, CSO and Co-founder of Nektar Therapeutics about the challenges he faced in setting up the firm and the company’s success to date. John describes how his research at Genentech on inhaled proteins prompted him to set up Nektar (then Inhale Therapeutic Systems), and discusses the resistance he faced from traditional players in the diabetes market when seeking partners.

Since its deals with GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer in 2004 - both for Nektar’s PEGylation technology - and its subsequent acquisition of Aerogen, the 1.3 billion-dollar company has gone from strength to strength. John outlines the business strategy for Nektar going forward and also discusses the company’s product pipeline.