The last six weeks have seen the acquisition of AskBio, the launch of a dedicated cell and gene therapy unit and a CAR-T pact with Atara. Bayer is taking the space very seriously.

Private Company Edition: The flood of venture capital into health care and life science firms continues with Perceptive closing a $1.1bn credit fund and Sanofi investing $50m in Jeito Capital. Also, Ambrx closed a $200m crossover round as biopharma remains on track for a record funding year.

Bayer’s ambitious campaign to reposition itself as a global leader in two complementary fields – health and nutrition – will face its toughest test in the US, with its highly litigious approach to product liability and a tendency to target pharmaceuticals as the source of the health system’s affordability and access problems.

Bayer’s VC LEAPS program invests in a second new biotech this month through its participation in the series A funding round for new immuno-oncology biotech Pyxis Oncology.