Lupin’s partnership with Shenzhen Foncoo marks the Indian firm's much-awaited entry into China. Will this and more planned alliances make Lupin a worthy respiratory challenger to AstraZeneca, compatriot Cipla and others in a country where chronic respiratory diseases are the second leading cause of death?

From a STING agonist to a SOS1 inhibitor, Lupin listed oncology candidates from the preclinical stage to those in IND-enabling studies during the recently concluded J.P. Morgan conference. Meanwhile, the newly spun-off oncology subsidiary awaits partners.

The power dynamics for deal-making in 2022 may shift to smaller companies emboldened by funds from venture financing and IPOs. While the spotlight will continue to be on ADCs and cell and gene therapies, vaccines and COVID-19 treatments will predictably be hot areas for licensing, Syneos Health predicts.

While an mRNA vaccine is still missing, 2021 saw Indian companies strike alliances, battle legal action and gain funding while the regulator played a crucial enabling role in the run up to the approval of eight COVID-19 vaccines from zero in 2020.

Ocugen’s mutation-agnostic candidate for retinitis pigmentosa and leber congenital amaurosis is set for Phase I trials in the US. In this exclusive audio interview, founder and CEO Shankar Musunuri speaks to Scrip about seeking partners beyond CanSino Biologics for the candidate while stressing Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine could hold promise against the Omicron variant.

Plus deals involving Sun's SPARC/Visiox, Twist/Sosei, BeiGene, Leads Biolabs, Qilu/Arbutus, Hansoh/Keros, Simcere/Avilex and Cytokinetics/Ji Xing.