Bristol-Myers Squibb’s proposed $2.4bn acquisition of Medarex, following Eli Lilly’s $6.5bn purchase of ImClone Systems last year, is indicative of the recent trend for big pharma to acquire biotech technology platforms to bolster ailing pipelines, but also highlights a dwindling number of viable antibody technology assets available to other pharma giants considering a move into this increasingly valuable field.

To this end, EP Vantage has conducted an analysis of pipeline data from EvaluatePharma to identify companies with the broadest portfolios of clinical and pre-clinical stage antibody candidates and therefore potential acquisition targets. Of the 11 biotechs with the most clinical stage assets, the likes of Seattle Genetics, Micromet and Xoma are notable given that their most valuable products have not yet been partnered (see tables below).