Biopharma bounces back as M&A impetus fuels recovery
Key takeaways
- In its midyear outlook report, the firm stated that US pharma and life sciences deal value in Q1 2026 surpassed $65bn, marking the strongest quarter since pandemic-related highs in 2020.
- According to the PwC team, the main driver behind this surge is the ongoing patent cliff – the largest loss of exclusivity (LOE) off-ramps ever to hit the industry.
- PwC puts the amount of branded pharma revenue exposed at more than $300bn, forcing pharma companies either to accelerate in-house R&D or look elsewhere for pipeline additions.
Biopharma bounces back as M&A impetus fuels recovery Robert Barrie Thu, June 18, 2026 at 12:17 AM GMT+7 4 min read Following the largest dealmaking quarter in six years, Pw C analysts have empirically stated that the biopharma ecosystem is “back to full health”.
In its midyear outlook report, the firm stated that US pharma and life sciences deal value in Q1 2026 surpassed $65bn, marking the strongest quarter since pandemic-related highs in 2020. Pw C’s analysts state this was buoyed by a surge in deals surpassing the billion-dollar ceiling as pharma companies look to differentiate their pipelines with modalities such as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), RNA therapeutics, and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).
According to the PwC team, the main driver behind this surge is the ongoing patent cliff – the largest loss of exclusivity (LOE) off-ramps ever to hit the industry. According to GlobalData, the share of global drug sales under patent protection will only be 4% in 2030, compared to 12% in 2022.