Venture firms’ pursuit of health-care deals intensified from a rush to a stampede last year.
Venture capitalists sank a record $9.97 billion into U.S. health-care companies in 2007, eclipsing the previous high of $9.47 billion set in 2000, according to data released Wednesday by VentureSource. The median amount invested per deal, about $10 million, was 33 percent higher than the $7.5 million in 2006.
A signature deal for 2007 touched on diagnostics and consumer health: Navigenics Inc. raised more than $25 million from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Sequoia Capital and Mohr Davidow Ventures to scan patients’ DNA for signs of disease.
New wave: The surge has come as firms strive to get behind the most promising new treatments for cancer, heart disease and other increasingly common problems. While traditional drug and medical device-makers capture much of the attention, interest in molecular diagnostics, consumer health and other newer fields is also fueling the boom.
