A decade from now, 2020 likely will be considered a year like no other in terms of the massive amounts of capital raised amid a raging pandemic. Financing transactions of all types smashed records and in terms of volume hit 1,580, a total that was 42% higher than last year.

Thanks to the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus identified in late December 2019, 2020 was the year of COVID-19. It was a year of lockdowns and social distancing, a year of Zoom meetings and virtual conferences, and a year when donning a face mask sometimes came to signify a political rather than health decision.

PERTH, Australia – Although Australians pay less for their drugs than patients in many other countries, Australia is falling behind when it comes to reimbursement for newer, targeted therapies, according to a report launched by Medicines Australia that assessed the timelines for registration and reimbursement of new medicines in Australia compared to 10 other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.

LONDON – The COVAX initiative, set up in a bid to ensure equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, is poised for a global rollout starting in Q1 2021, after sealing agreements to access 2 billion doses of a number of different products. That puts the world on a clear pathway to ending the acute phase of the pandemic, by protecting the most vulnerable people around the world, according to GAVI, the vaccines alliance, which is spearheading COVAX.

Partnerships are reshaping the pharmaceutical industry across Asia, said speakers during day two of the Phar-East 2020 virtual conference.

Nothing much has changed since last month. This year is still, by far, the best year for financings in biopharma history, although the gap between 2020 and the next highest year has widened even more.

Nearly a year after the SARS-CoV-2 virus first appeared in Wuhan, China, a ray of hope is shining on the world with high efficacy reported for four vaccines and U.S. emergency use authorizations granted to three more therapeutics.

The pace at which companies are integrating the sophisticated tools of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into their early stage drug discovery and development programs is accelerating, as evidenced by the creation of new dedicated AI-focused biopharma companies and the eagerness of drug developers to partner with AI firms.

The appetite for biopharma IPOs this year has been voracious with no signs of a slowdown anytime soon. Year-to-date, a total of $14.63 billion was raised from 66 new global issues, a total that is already well ahead of the $10.7 billion in 2018, from 80 transactions, that represented the previous record for IPOs. In terms of volume, BioWorld has recorded that the highest number of IPOs in a single year was 84 in 2014, followed by 83 in 2000.