Examining The New Look For Biotech

According to Claire Riches, VP of Clinical Solutions at Norstella’s Citeline, there were just under 24,000 drugs in development as of the end of 2025, “which is insane … if you think about where figures were 10 years ago.”

In season two’s first episode of the podcast series, “Small Biotechs, Big Decisions,” host Riches and Ross Pettit, Chief Development Officer at Kestrel Therapeutics, discussed the new look for the biotech industry. Riches cited the growth in rare disease, which accounts for about 20% of the pipeline, and said biotech plays a prominent role in that area.

When asked by Riches for a snapshot of how biotech looks and feels today, Pettit said the industry has gradually become lean, and that it is using partners much more effectively.