Catching the wave - How to take advantage of the rising tide in biotech finance

The financing market for biotech companies in Europe has been showing signs of life lately - with more private fundings, IPOs and trade sales.

The financing market for biotech companies in Europe has been showing signs of life lately - with more private fundings, IPOs and trade sales. Latest data suggest 2005 was the best year for financing in the history of the European biotech industry in Europe, save for the bubble year of 2000. In fact, for the first time in the 30-year history of the sector, there were more public offerings in Europe, with 23 IPOs, than in the U.S., with 13, according to a recent report by Ernst & Young. The strength of the European market was further highlighted in May, when Astra Zeneca announced a surprise bid for Cambridge Antibody Technologies. So how to take advantage of that trend - and will it continue?