Of the 160 biopharma deals tracked by BioWorld during the month of April, 36% are for collaborations focusing on the development of therapeutics and vaccines for COVID-19.

According to an analysis conducted by BioWorld of the first quarter 2020 financial reports filed by the top 100 public biopharmaceutical companies ranked by market cap, and excluding big pharma companies, the amount that was invested in research and development (R&D) during the period increased by 13% compared to the same period last year.

Women, black and Hispanic/Latinx participants were underrepresented in pivotal clinical trials for drugs approved from 2007 to 2017, according to a new report by the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development. In the pivotal clinical trials, 44.9% of patients were women. Participants who identified as black or of African descent were the most underrepresented participant group, representing 5.4% of participants in clinical trials.

While a significant number of clinical trial delays occurred during the month of April, it was business as usual from a regulatory standpoint for companies with late-stage therapies ready for the market and for those targeting underserved patient populations.