If there is one thing that potently illustrates the hope and despair of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the zigzag of BioWorld’s Infectious Disease Index. Up by nearly 64%, it is towering over both the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which are up 12.4% and 15.5%, respectively, but it has experienced several downward swings this year as well.
One more completed stock market debut and 2021 will have officially matched last year with the highest number of biopharma IPOs on record, and amounts collected through venture capital financings have now risen to the top as well.
While the volume of regulatory data is above this point last year by more than 17%, the proportion of COVID-19-related news is nearly the same, as is the number of U.S.-approved new molecular entities (NMEs).
A look at the COVID-19 cases and deaths globally and on a weekly basis suggest that the world is not doing any better than it was this time last year, even though numerous vaccines are now authorized and approved.
A fully approved COVID-19 vaccine, clinical advances of pandemic antibodies and multibillion-dollar deals appear to be the driving forces of increasing biopharma stock prices. BioWorld’s Biopharmaceutical Index is tracking ahead by 10.6% this year, after several months of negative numbers.
Biopharma company deals with nonprofit entities, as well as grants, are not keeping the same pace as last year, but the proportion of money flowing into COVID-19 efforts continues to account for the majority of those recorded overall.
The completion of the third largest biopharmaceutical acquisition on record has significantly boosted M&A values in 2021, although the industry still falls more than 38% below the same period last year.
Bioworld’s Drug Developers Index is at its highest point this year, up 4.99%, despite some index members receiving FDA complete response letters and reporting lower-than-expected sales within the last month. Moderna Inc., with its mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine gaining more traction worldwide, is largely responsible for the rise, with its own shares (NASDAQ:MRNA) up nearly 285%.
Clinical data in 2021 has risen by about 9.2% in comparison with the same timeframe in 2020. As of mid-August, BioWorld has tracked a total of 2,400 entries of clinical data, which is up from the 2,197 entries last year. The gap has decreased from about 26% in mid-April, suggesting a steady slowdown in activity.
With generic competition on the horizon for its older sleep disorder drug Xyrem, Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc gained an added indication for its GABA B receptor agonist Xywav as the FDA approved it for idiopathic hypersomnia.
