Leading countries in life sciences sector M&As 2019

The United States led the mergers and acquisitions market in the life sciences sector in 2019. Life sciences companies based in the United States made 659 acquisitions, but there were 715 deals involving the purchase of target companies headquartered in the United States. China established itself as the second-largest market for life sciences mergers and acquisitions.

Mergers and acquisitions are shaping the life sciences industry

There were approximately 2,800 global deals announced in the life sciences mergers and acquisitions market in 2019, which was a little decrease compared to the previous year. However, the estimated value of those deals increased from 296 billion U.S. dollars in 2018 to 467 billion U.S. dollars in 2019. Large-scale transactions continued to dominate the life sciences market – the overall value of the ten largest announced deals was approximately 300 billion U.S. dollars.

What are the life sciences?

Life sciences are the branches of science that deal with the research and study of living organisms, such as animals, plants, and human beings. The sector is composed of companies that focus on core segments, including pharmaceutical products, medical technology, and biotechnology. Companies that develop branded pharmaceuticals are increasingly using mergers and acquisitions as a way of limiting the impact of falling revenues when key patents expire and generics enter the market. AbbVie – the company that manufacturers the blockbuster drug Humira – acquired competitor Allergan for approximately 63 billion U.S. dollars in 2019.