Lisa Urquhart

Journalist

An award-winning journalist with more than 20 years’ experience of covering the life sciences sector.

Lisa has held a number of roles including editor of Evaluate Vantage and biotechnology correspondent for the Financial Times. Her interests within biopharma include M&A and venture financing, alongside exploring health inequalities.

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Latest from Lisa Urquhart

Pharmaceutical

Latigo’s $150 million fundraise shows potential gains from pain as early-stage non-opioid pipeline grows

Pain is good. Or finding non-opioid ways to manage it is good, if Latigo Biotherapeutics’ $150 million March fundraise is anything to go by. 19 April 2025

Biotechnology

Orbis fundraise shows growing interest in macrocyclic drugs

The 90 million euros ($94 million) raised by Orbis Medicines in a series A round was not January’s biggest venture investment by a long stretch. That honor belonged to the whopping $410 million netted by UK obesity group Verdiva Bio, but what Orbis’s VC round does show is the growing interest in macrocyclics as a drug class. 6 February 2025

Biotechnology

Relation's $45 million upfront GSK collaboration all part of right technology, right biology, right time

Nine months out from landing an additional $35 million in seed funding, Relation has more news – a big pharma collaboration. The group has announced a $45 million upfront deal, including a $15 million equity investment with UK pharma group GSK. 23 December 2024

Pharmaceutical

F2G seeks second bite of the cherry with $100 million round as novel antifungal pipeline remains thin

F2G’s September $100m funding round provides the company with crucial funds to renavigate approval of its lead drug, olorofim. The substantial financing also highlights the paucity of novel antifungal products in the clinic. 3 October 2024

Pharmaceutical

AI drug discovery groups benefiting from venture interest as Xaira shows the way

CytoReason’s $80 million venture round may not have been the biggest in July, but it is one of a growing number of investor bets on AI powered drug discovery this year. 7 August 2024

Series C

Aardvark Therapeutics moves closer to float with Series C venture round

Aardvark Therapeutics might not have scored the biggest venture haul in May, but its $85 million Series C round will further strengthen rumors that the California-based company is gearing up for an IPO this summer, which could come as soon as late July. 13 June 2024

Biotechnology

Xaira’s billion dollar raise fuels hype - and hope - for AI-led drug discovery

At a cool $1 billion, the venture round secured by AI group Xaira ranks as the second-biggest raise in biotech history. In the drug discovery space, this financing is dwarfed only by Altos Lab’s $3 billion, amassed back in 2021. 14 May 2024

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