DCF - HC

Can someone explain a DCF for a biopharma company and how you would say it in an interview? I understand that you have to take into account POS, other specific considerations, etc, but would love to get others' thoughts! Thanks

6 Comments
 
Most Helpful

check the RBC Biotech valuation report or Torreya report, know the different POS (e.g. if its in phase I, II, III), know that revenue is 0 until drug hits the market (always assuming drug gets market approval) and expenses gradually increase until then (first because you need to recruit & monitor more patients and then for manufacturing/marketing expenses.

Read about the patent cliff (theres gonna be a negative gordon growth afterwords) 

make sure you know how to find the revenue its actually really cool and a general basis is (# of patients * price per therapy annualized * market penetration of the drug)

at the deeper level know difference between a therapy vs small molecule vs biolgoic in terms of Terminval Value, patent cliff, market pentration estimates etc

sorry for typos

 

Nah for general healthcare (services / providers) the dcf is more similar with that of industrials and conusmer companies. Rely on  EBITDA Multiples, FCF etc. This is moreso for the the Life Sciences team or BioPharma team.

Medtech has its own nuances such as every medical facility / technology needs to go through the FDA process but those have much higher POS than the life sciences. Tbh just started my first year and havent worked on any medtech deals but they have their own nuances as well. 

 

and also read ER reports. BigPharma DCF's are valued in different parts (could be by therapeutic region, time cycle etc) but they all tend to be sum of the parts regarding the DCF. Pfizer's breakdown was like Pipeline (drugs that haven't yet hit market), LOE Drugs (gonna each patent cliff soon), Drugs that just hit the market and then generics. 

Really high lvl overview but point being that diff large companies should be looked at diff ways considering their products and specilziations  

 

Eum aut qui a. Enim consequatur velit aliquam facilis earum. Quis aut asperiores aspernatur dolor et non ratione dolores. Et omnis itaque voluptatibus quia est dolor consequatur.

Numquam animi deleniti commodi reiciendis corrupti provident labore. Voluptatem unde dolorem animi. Consectetur atque quaerat commodi assumenda numquam tempora aliquam. Velit quas cumque deserunt dolore esse. Corporis occaecati rerum deleniti assumenda incidunt autem. Aliquam facilis aliquid aut itaque.

Tempora facere sed asperiores molestias. Omnis ex ullam dolores at voluptas quisquam. Necessitatibus voluptates quia repellendus sed totam reprehenderit. Eveniet consequatur voluptas harum sint vero optio et nemo.

Enim et beatae enim officiis est aliquid. Eaque assumenda sit tempora iusto consequatur. Ratione odio quas commodi commodi. Quibusdam alias dolores et architecto rem.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”