The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine Announces Record Sector Financing in 2020
Washington, DC - November 19, 2020
The regenerative medicine sector attracted $15.9 billion in financing through just the first three quarters of the year, shattering the previous record of $13.5 billion
Global financing for the regenerative medicine and advanced therapy sector set an annual record of $15.9 billion through just the first three quarters of 2020, according to datareleased today by the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM), the leading international advocacy organization dedicated to realizing the promise of regenerative medicines.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, financing for the cell, gene, and tissue-based therapies sector surpassed the previous record of $13.5 billion set during full-year 2018.
"There is strength across all types of investment and stages of the pipeline, from early-stage cell-based immuno-oncology to late-stage gene therapies," said Janet Lambert, CEO of ARM. "The outlook for patients has never been brighter."
Investors remain bullish about the promise of profound, durable, and possibly curative regenerative medicines to treat a range of diseases and disorders.
Public financing continues to drive the sector, through both IPOs ($2.8 billion YTD) and follow-on financings ($5.7 billion YTD). At $4.1 billion year-to-date, venture capital financing is also on track to surpass the previous record of $4.3 billion set in 2019.
"The rapid advancement of the science behind regenerative medicine makes this a very dynamic time for investors and a hopeful time for patients," said Jason Rhodes, a partner at Atlas Venture. "The breadth of approaches now available -- from CRISPR to CAR-Ts to lentiviruses and non-viral gene therapies -- enables us to pick the right tool for the specific biology that we're addressing."
Highlights from ARM's third-quarter 2020 data include:
- Gene therapy financing was $3.5B in Q3 2020 and $12 billion YTD, up 178% and 114% from 2019 levels respectively; cell therapy financing reached $3 billion in Q3 2020 and $11 billion YTD, up 97% and 242%, respectively; tissue-based therapy financing was $226 million in Q3 2020 and $311 million YTD, up 11% and 311% respectively.*
- At the end of Q3 2020, there were 1,109 regenerative medicine clinical trials ongoing worldwide - 373 in gene therapy, 492 in cell-based immuno-oncology, 202 in cell therapy, and 42 in tissue-based therapies.
- Of the 1,109 clinical trials, 388 target more prevalent diseases, including prevalent cancers (159), cardiovascular disease (35), diseases of the central nervous system (33), infectious diseases including COVID-19 (38), and diabetes (17).
- There are 97 ongoing Phase 3 clinical trials, with regulatory decisions expected in the coming months in the US and Europe for several product candidates across cell, gene, and tissue-based therapies; cell-based immuno-oncology now comprises more than half of the 418 Phase 1 trials.
- There are 1,026 regenerative medicine and advanced therapy developers active globally, up from 1,001 in our previous report covering the first half of 2020. Of the current total, 536 are active in gene therapy, 641 are active in cell therapy, and 135 are active in tissue-based therapies.
* Some companies utilize multiple technology types, and financings for these companies are included in each of the applicable categories.
About the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine
The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) is the leading international advocacy organization dedicated to realizing the promise of regenerative medicines and advanced therapies. ARM promotes legislative, regulatory and reimbursement initiatives to advance this innovative and transformative sector, which includes cell therapies, gene therapies and tissue-based therapies. Early products to market have demonstrated profound, durable and potentially curative benefits that are already helping thousands of patients worldwide, many of whom have no other viable treatment options. Hundreds of additional product candidates contribute to a robust pipeline of potentially life-changing regenerative medicines and advanced therapies. In its 11-year history, ARM has become the global voice of the sector, representing the interests of 370+ members worldwide, including small and large companies, academic research institutions, major medical centers and patient groups. To learn more about ARM or to become a member, visit http://www.alliancerm.org.
