Just nine drug developers went public in the US during the first quarter of last year, but with the industry boosted by pandemic response, 32 biopharma companies launched IPOs in Q1 of this year.

Perrigo is latest consumer health firm to note substantially slower flu rates slammed OTC drug sales during 2020 fourth quarter. Its total cough/cold product sales for the year were off $63m on decreases of $34m in the Americas and $29m in its international markets.

Around 100 executives highlight the hot areas to watch on the R&D front in 2021. From cancer to CNS and from regenerative medicine to real world data, expectations are high on many fronts.

EY’s M&A Firepower report predicts very active M&A activity for medtechs in 2021, driven by diagnostics and digital health, but with some headwinds remaining.