The overall deal-making environment may have been scarred by the pandemic in 2020, but Indian firms appeared to emerge as partners of choice for scaling up COVID-19 therapies and expanding access to these drugs.
2021 Deal Action In India: Watch Private Equity And E-Pharmacy
Pharma Deal Making Vibrant After 2020 COVID-19 Deals
Most roads led to India in 2020 when it came to deals to expand access to COVID-19 therapies, but the challenging year also saw significant private equity interest and there are expectations of more action ahead in the new year.

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Deal Snapshot: Lilly is the third company to sign a licensing deal for STAC-BBB with Sangamo, which also aims to secure a deal for its Fabry disease program in the second quarter.
AstraZeneca remains committed to investing in R&D and alliances in China, where Susan Galbraith, the UK major’s head of oncology R&D, sees innovation eventually reaching parity with the US and Europe.
The latest in a long line of restructuring measures will see Sumitomo Pharma making a stepped sale of its pharma operations in Asia to major Japanese trading house Marubeni.
Plus deals involving GV20/Mitsubishi Tanabe, Kaken/Alumis, AstraZeneca/Alteogen and deal terminations involving Clover/Gavi Alliance and Rhythm/RareStone.
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BeiGene’s Phase III ociperlimab joins the list of failed TIGIT inhibitors, as candidates from Roche, Merck & Co. and others have failed late-stage studies.
It might be the beginning of the end for the orphan drugs party but there is still sales growth enjoyment to be had for the sector, whose star performers are now looking increasingly like mainstream drugs.