VentureBeat

Now that the Bioheart IPO has doubly surprised everyone — first by happening at all, and second by coming out on such dreadful terms for the company — perhaps it’s time to take a closer look at exactly where the 2008 offering market for life-science companies stands. In fact, I’ll aim to make this a regular feature, because the IPO market is still a useful leading indicator for venture funding.

Data for the following analysis comes courtesy of Renaissance Capital’s site IPOHome, which is a pretty standout resource for this kind of thing. Twenty-three life-science startups are currently queued up for takeoff, although only two have even established a price range. Of the three that have made it through the IPO gate this year, only one — healthcare provider IPC — has seen its shares rise, while investors have greeted both MAKO Surgical and Bioheart with something less than enthusiasm.

Three startups have postponed their offerings indefinitely, while another five have withdrawn them outright. It’s looking pretty likely that we’ll see these numbers swell further before long.

Here are the numbers:

Pending IPOs

Priced IPOs

Postponed IPOs

Withdrawn IPOs