Ali Pashazadeh, Treehill Partners CEO, provided a measured counterpoint in Endpoints News’ 23 October 2025 analysis examining whether recent advances in neurology R&D are driving increased M&A activity in the sector.
The Industry View
While observers interviewed suggest neurology is now “ripe” for dealmaking — citing reduced risk from biomarker advances, FDA flexibility, and recent high-profile acquisitions like J&J’s $14.6 billion Intra-Cellular buyout — Dr Pashazadeh offered a more nuanced perspective on the underlying dynamics.
Our Analysis
Not an Appetite Shift, But a Threshold Effect:
We are more skeptical about characterizing the trend as increased pharma appetite for neurology deals. Instead, we argue that many large drugmakers still want to target companies beyond the human proof-of-principle stage, and that is hard to come-by for many biotech especially in Neurology. So we are more looking at a threshold effect. The exception as always proves the rule.
Where Neurology Does Have an Advantage:
It is easier though to identify where drugs are needed in neurology, compared with areas like oncology, which tend to have more complex treatment paradigms. With no approved disease-modifying treatments for several neurodegenerative diseases, the unmet need remains clear and well-defined.
Market Context
The article highlights major 2025 neurology deals including Eli Lilly’s acquisition of SiteOne Tx and Sanofi’s purchase of Vigil Neuroscience. Industry experts pointed to biomarker breakthroughs — particularly neurofilament light chain (NfL) in ALS and TREM2 in Alzheimer’s — as key de-risking factors for the sector.
Read the full Endpoints News article: Are recent strides in neurology R&D enough to make it a hot M&A target?