Biotech VC predicts more M&A, commercial future for gene editing

Was the public bidding war over weight loss startup Metsera a sign of things to come in the drug industry? Well, venture capitalist David Schenkein isn’t sure we’ll see many more biotech purchasing battles, but he anticipates it’s just the start of a wave of biotech M&A.
“I don’t see M&A slowing down over the next couple of years. If anything, my bet is it’ll be accelerating,” said Schenkein, who co-leads the life sciences investing group at GV, Google’s investment arm. The Metsera deal aside, large pharma companies have bought more than a dozen biotech companies or drug candidates over the last six months. The pace has only increased as the year winds down and drugmakers come closer to a slurry of drug patent expirations in 2026.
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The team at GV manages some $10 billion that the tech giant has set aside for early-stage companies. Schenkein’s group invests over $1 billion every year in firms developing new medicines, health care technologies, and payer systems.