The new edition of our quarterly newsletter on transactions in the global life sciences and chemicals industry, glances back at the significant deals that took place in 2020.

Through the COVID-19 pandemic, in both sectors, 2020 deal activity went through a phase of shock followed by a recovery in deal volume in H2 2020.

• For life sciences, deal volume exceeded that of the record year 2019, whereas with only five announced blockbuster deals, deal value declined by nearly 40% in 2020. Most attractive target therapies were medical devices and oncology.
• The chemical sector suffered an even more severe decline after a weak prior year. While deal volume corresponds to that of 2019, deal value more than halved in 2020 with only one quasi-blockbuster deal. Yet, active portfolio management was the key deal driver.