Skip to main content
The Actuary: The magazine of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries - return to the homepage Logo of The Actuary website
  • Search
  • Visit The Actuary Magazine on Facebook
  • Visit The Actuary Magazine on LinkedIn
  • Visit @TheActuaryMag on Twitter
Visit the website of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries Logo of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries

Main navigation

  • News
  • Features
    • General Features
    • Interviews
    • Students
    • Opinion
  • Topics
  • Knowledge
    • Business Skills
    • Careers
    • Events
    • Predictions by The Actuary
    • Whitepapers
    • Moody's - Climate Risk Insurers series
    • Webinars
    • Podcasts
  • Jobs
  • IFoA
    • CEO Comment
    • IFoA News
    • People & Social News
    • President Comment
  • Archive
Quick links:
  • Home
  • The Actuary Issues
  • October 2018
10

Ageing population drives growth in biotech investment

Open-access content Thursday 11th October 2018 — updated 5.50pm, Wednesday 29th April 2020

Pharma and biotech firms have attracted well over $19bn (£14.4bn) in venture capital investment worldwide this year, considerably more than was recorded over the whole of 2017.

2


That is according to a quarterly update from KPMG, which said interest in the healthcare sector was being driven by awareness of the growing needs of an ageing population.

UK investment was particularly strong, with the £111m raised by London-based biotech firm Orchard Therapeutics to treat rare immune system diseases one of the biggest deals recorded.

KPMG's head of innovative startup practice, Patrick Imbach, said investors would continue looking at firms working to understand the cause of diseases and genetic factors behind them.

"With the population in the UK getting older, it is expected that biotech will continue to be a big bet for the foreseeable future as companies look to find ways to treat and prevent different diseases," he added.

Total global venture capital investment had reached $183.3bn by the end of September, beating the $171bn for 2017, but falling from the $73bn invested over the previous three months.

Asia accounted for eight of the top 10 deals in the latest quarter, although there was a considerable drop in total investment across the region, falling from $37.9bn in the previous three months to $17.6bn.

Investment of $27.86bn in the US kept pace with the $27.6bn recorded in the second quarter of this year, with the urban mobility and autonomous vehicle sectors particularly hot.

The UK accounted for around $1.9bn of the $5.2bn invested across Europe, attracting more than double the $836.84m recorded by its closest European competitor Germany.

Meanwhile Latin America and Canada saw strong performances across fewer deals, with $4bn raised from 462 transactions in the latest quarter, compared with $3bn from 624 in 2017.

"Q3'18 also saw a resurgence in IPO activity globally," said KPMG US partner, Brian Hughes. "As the IPO market continues to deliver strong returns to investors, we should expect to see further IPO activity in coming quarters."


Sign up to our free newsletter here and receive a weekly roundup of news concerning the actuarial profession

This article appeared in our October 2018 issue of The Actuary .
Click here to view this issue

You may also be interested in...

2

Technology 'tightening its grip' on insurance as Brits shun human interaction

There are now more people that would choose to make their insurance claims online rather than deal with a human being, a poll of over 2,000 UK adults has found.
Thursday 11th October 2018
Open-access content
2

IAS 19 failing to provide enough clarity around pension scheme funding

The IAS 19 accounting standard is falling short in providing enough clarity around pension scheme funding requirements and risk, research from Lincoln Pensions has found.
Wednesday 10th October 2018
Open-access content
2

UK's financial sector told not to expect 'bonfire of red tape' post-Brexit

Financial regulation in the UK will get stricter after the country leaves the EU whether a Brexit deal is agreed or not, accounting giant KPMG has predicted.
Tuesday 9th October 2018
Open-access content
2

New rules to shake up pension transfer market

UK savers can expect “significant changes” to the advice they get when transferring out of defined benefit (DB) pension schemes thanks to new rules introduced by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) last week.
Tuesday 9th October 2018
Open-access content
2

Membership: time to renew your IFOA membership

In September you would have received an email from our Membership Team, reminding you that you need to renew your IFoA membership.
Monday 8th October 2018
Open-access content
2

Car insurance premiums rise for first time in 12 months

UK drivers saw their car insurance premiums rise for the first time in 12 months over the latest quarter, according to data from Confused.com and Willis Towers Watson (WLTW).
Monday 15th October 2018
Open-access content
Filed in
10
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linked in
  • Mail
  • Print

Latest Jobs

Senior Reserving Analyst

London (City of)
Negotiable
Reference
149485

Senior GI Modeler - Capital and Planning

London (Central)
£ excellent
Reference
149436

Risk Oversight Manager

Flexible / hybrid with a minimum of 2 days per week office-based
£ excellent
Reference
149435
See all jobs »
 
 

Today's top reads

 
 

Sign up to our newsletter

News, jobs and updates

Sign up

Subscribe to The Actuary

Receive the print edition straight to your door

Subscribe
Spread-iPad-slantB-june.png

Topics

  • Data Science
  • Investment
  • Risk & ERM
  • Pensions
  • Environment
  • Soft skills
  • General Insurance
  • Regulation Standards
  • Health care
  • Technology
  • Reinsurance
  • Global
  • Life insurance
​
FOLLOW US
The Actuary on LinkedIn
@TheActuaryMag on Twitter
Facebook: The Actuary Magazine
CONTACT US
The Actuary
Tel: (+44) 020 7880 6200
​

IFoA

About IFoA
Become an actuary
IFoA Events
About membership

Information

Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Cookie Policy
Think Green

Get in touch

Contact us
Advertise with us
Subscribe to The Actuary Magazine
Contribute

The Actuary Jobs

Actuarial job search
Pensions jobs
General insurance jobs
Solvency II jobs

© 2023 The Actuary. The Actuary is published on behalf of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries by Redactive Publishing Limited. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part is not allowed without written permission.

Redactive Media Group Ltd, 71-75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ