Novartis and Takeda’s R&D efforts saw an impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, but both Lutz Hegemann and Andrew Plump believe that when the next pandemic hits, the industry and regulators will be better prepared for it.

As vaccine makers tackle SARS-CoV-2 variants, WHO’s Chief Scientist feels it’s important to continue immunization programs with existing vaccines. Meanwhile, the rollouts mean the safety and efficacy landscape is set to change, said participants at a recent meet

South Africa recently decided against using AstraZeneca partner Serum Institute’s vaccine for its immunization program, given its low efficacy against the B.1.351 strain. However, certain vaccines have shown higher efficacy. Is this a sign that newer strains of SARS-CoV-2 could upset supply deals and revenue projections for some vaccines?

Multiple COVID-19 vaccines, including from RDIF and Novavax, could get accelerated approvals in India in the first half of calendar 2021, expanding the range at the country’s disposal. J&J's vaccine is expected to follow although it still hasn’t begun local trials, while Pfizer has temporarily withdrawn an application.

A lack of new launches and price erosion caused a sharp dip in Torrent’s Q3 US revenues, but the company plans to ramp up its presence in Brazil and Germany to build momentum. Meanwhile, the field force in India has been downsized with an aim to defocus on older brands.

Aurobindo expects the first data readouts from the Phase II/III clinical trials of its partnered COVID-19 vaccine by July. While making progress in biosimilars development, the Indian company also plans to invest substantially in new API capacity.