As the U.S. FDA transitions to another new commissioner, the number of approvals has dropped to the lowest levels in seven years and is 19% below those approved by this time last year.

For the first time since the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, global deaths caused by the disease have fallen to their lowest point, as immunity against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its variants continues to build. Infections and deaths appear to be decelerating, an optimistic sign that the pandemic may be nearing an end.

While BioWorld’s Drug Developers Index appeared to be moving in the right direction last month, it did an about-face in April and is now at its lowest point this year, down 23.1%, following the same trajectory as both the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

More than a quarter of all clinical data reported this year are targeting cancer indications, as pandemic news dips and overall activity drops by 12.5%.