Scrip Perspectives

PE firms Advent and Carlyle drove the biggest M&A deals in human and animal pharmaceuticals in India during 2024, a year that also saw Lupin strike deals with Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim to further its ambitions in the fast-growing diabetes space. Which segments look hot and what are the expected trends for deal making in 2025?

While quieter than some recent years, 2024 did produce several clinical trial readouts destined to have an impact on their respective markets. Here, in roughly chronological order, Scrip takes a look at the 10 clinical stories that got readers clicking the most over the past 12 months.

The year’s new drugs included the first drug approved for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and two drugs for primary biliary cholangitis (PBC).

The biopharma sector has once again experienced highs and lows this year. With just a week left, and in no particular order, Scrip takes a look at five of the biggest stories of 2024.

INFOGRAPHIC: Deal volume for both M&A and alliances fell in 2023, but average valuations rose appreciably. Antibody-drug conjugates for cancer drove high-value acquisitions and partnerships.

A rundown of the ten most valuable drug launches expected in 2024 from both big pharma and some first-to-market companies.   

While not expected to be quite so busy as previous years, 2024 will still see many pivotal clinical trial readouts that should create a splash. Here are ten (plus a few extras) that have caught Scrip’s eye for one reason or another, eg, for being the first readout for a novel drug class, having the potential to take a product in a new lucrative direction, for maybe being able to succeed where a rival has already failed or even for having been a long time coming.    

In this second instalment on key trends playing out in India, Scrip talks to industry leaders on the marked shift in GMP norms that could potentially resize Indian manufacturing, large player interest in the CDMO space and M&A activity, where PE firms may be the “most aggressive” buyers.

The arrival of an indigenous CAR-T cell therapy, a shot at GLP-1s and Parkinson’s disease, strides into adjacencies and an “easy revenue stream” formula for products set to lose exclusivity are some of the striking developments seen playing out in India. Industry leaders, including Cipla’s CEO, share their views with Scrip on some of the key trends in the first instalment of this two-part roundup.

Biotech founders and executives in China are having to embrace continuing uncertainty around funding as the light at the end of the tunnel still appears a way off, but partnerships and alternative financing routes are providing some relief.