While it made a sturdy effort as biopharma companies opted for licensing deals over M&As in 2022, the year did not surpass 2021 in deal values, falling about 3.5% short. Lackluster M&A values dropped to their lowest levels in five years and were down by 35.6% compared with 2021.

In the fourth year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization is monitoring two omicron subvariants, BA.5.2 and BF.7, causing a surge of COVID-19 cases in China. It also is keeping abreast of rising XBB.1.5 cases and declining BQ.1 cases in Europe and the U.S., where hospitalizations have increased in recent weeks. Global cases in the last month are trending below the same timepoints in 2020 and 2021, and deaths are significantly down, suggesting a move toward an endemic stage.

Investment in the fourth quarter of 2022 was dismal in Asia Pacific, as the global venture community focused on preserving capital. And the region faced other challenges throughout the year, as leaders in Australia and across Asia became acutely aware of the vulnerabilities in their supply chains. But the year also saw some big deals and collaborations involving companies across Asia Pacific, along with advances in regenerative and digital medicine.

The world is emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, as both cases and deaths have remained consistently low in recent months, despite continuous mutation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Nevertheless, there is a shuffling of candidates in the arsenal as new variants bump once-effective therapies and the next generation of options enter the arena.

Nearing the end of 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic clearly no longer dominates the clinical activity reported by biopharma companies. Overall clinical data tracked by BioWorld is down significantly, as is the proportion focused on the SARS-Cov-2 virus. Therapeutics and vaccines targeting cancer, infectious diseases and neurological disorders, however, remain a stronghold.

Easy access to financing, talent, and connection to sizable potential markets are Hong Kong’s advantages to develop the health care robotics industry, according to speakers at the Asia Summit on Global Health.

While weekly global and U.S. confirmed cases of COVID-19 are below each of the last two years, infectious disease experts remain on guard.

With a 52% increase in patent filings and a 160% jump in research publications, the RNA technology field has exploded in the last 10 to 12 years, and the U.S. and mainland China are paving the way. Identifying seven emerging RNA innovators, Clarivate plc’s RNA Technology Companies to Watch is a new report that harnesses data and insights from both Clarivate and BioWorld.

A strong third quarter has pushed biopharma financings ahead of several pre-pandemic years, as follow-on offerings and private placements picked up the pace. IPOs and venture capital rounds dipped below prior quarters, but the overall amount raised so far this year has placed 2022 as the fifth best financing year among the last 10, ahead of both 2019 and 2017.