About a year-and-a-half after the sequencing of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the onslaught of COVID-19 therapeutic and vaccine development that followed, the biopharma industry boldly tackles a slew of ongoing issues from vaccine hesitancy and supply inequities to the ramifications of a potential intellectual property waiver and the pressing need to prepare global systems for the next pandemic.
The largest med-tech M&As so far in 2021 have bumped the year’s value well above this point last year, although none come close to the October merger of Teladoc Health Inc. and Livongo Health Inc. for $18.5 billion. Still, 2021 appears on track to exceed 2020’s $38 billion M&A total, with 227 completed M&As already valued at $25 billion, 66% of 2020’s full-year amount.
While phase I-III clinical trial data continue to rise above the same timeframe in 2020, the gap is closing and a smaller percentage of this year’s reports are focused on the COVID-19 pandemic.
For the second time, the biopharma industry’s largest event will be held virtually as BIO Digital 2021, with pandemic preparedness and infectious diseases a running theme throughout many of the scheduled sessions.
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