From the general to the particular: drug developers are increasingly tailoring therapies to individuals. Driven by important advances in understanding biology as well as new tools to harness big data, industry participants expect significant progress in biopharma’s approach to the patient.

Third-quarter biopharma financing, which totaled $12.5 billion, was dominated by follow-on public offerings, which represented virtually half the value. Acquisition activity was headlined by a major move by Gilead in the CART market. Five alliances were signed worth over $1 billion, led by a partnership between two key players, Merck & Co. and AstraZeneca.

Derived from Strategic Transactions, Informa’s premium source for tracking life sciences deal activity, the Dealmaking column is a survey of recent health care transactions listed by relevant industry segment – In Vitro Diagnostics, Medical Devices, and Pharmaceuticals – and then categorized by type – Acquisition, Alliance, or Financing. This month’s column covers deals announced in August 2017.

The pharmaceutical industry has a lot riding on the mid-term elections: the Democrats only need to take back one chamber of Congress to do damage on Wall Street.