Emmanuel Ligner, president and CEO of Cytiva, talks to In Vivo about how the company will dramatically increase its manufacturing capabilities over the next five years, at a price tag of $500m.

Already producing a broader range of biologics than any biotech firm in the world, from antibodies via plasma products to testing assays to vaccines, the state-owned China National Biotec Group is becoming even bigger with policy support and one surprising helper: the coronavirus pandemic. But might it face challenges from innovators and foreign firms in a changing environment?

Innovation has come of age in Asia, throwing up investment opportunities in China, Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries that Novo Holdings plans to tap into, says CEO Kasim Kutay. The firm's Asia head, Amit Kakar, also outlines therapeutic areas of interest for the company, which is managing $65bn worth of assets.

Real-time decision support came of age in dramatic style during COVID-19. GE Healthcare’s CEO of Clinical Command Centers Jeff Terry explains that AI- and app-based health system collaboration and virtualized care will become increasingly embedded as health care delivery transforms.

CMS patent attorneys Jane Hollywood and Rob Stephen say COVID-19 has not dented the enthusiasm of medtech start-up entrepreneurs from pushing back the technology boundaries in patient care delivery – in fact, they are getting younger.

A two and half year-old partnership between Adaptive Biotechnologies and Microsoft that began with a focus on Lyme disease has transitioned to mapping immune responses to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. By identifying and matching T cell receptors to antigens associated with the virus – and leveraging the power of machine learning – the companies hope to improve COVID-19 vaccine development, locate potential antibodies for drug development and create better, more sensitive diagnostics.

A significant number of gene therapies are expected to come to market imminently, potentially revolutionizing health care systems. Developers will face significant clinical, regulatory and logistical challenges in bringing these therapies to market. Manufacturers and payers must work through the associated administrative, logistical and legal challenges in partnership.

A selection of articles you might have missed from August 2020, including exclusive interviews with industry leaders and a review of financing trends.

An interactive look at recent executive-level company changes and promotions in the biopharma, medical device and diagnostics industries.

Fresenius Kabi’s decision to add radio frequency-identification (RFID) tags to 24 products used in hospital operating rooms will help the company’s hospital pharmacy customers reduce waste, increase efficiencies and facilitate tighter medication inventory control, executives told In Vivo. However, only 10% of US hospitals are currently equipped to scan and process RFID tags, despite larger adoption rates in other industry sectors. COVID-19-related revenue losses may push more hospitals to adopt automated RFID medication management systems to save time and reduce labor costs.

The G-BA has explained in more detail the procedures for mandating post-launch evidence generation under new legislation introduced in 2019.

As more and more states enact drug pricing transparency reporting requirements, biopharma companies should effectively manage business impacts and address reputational and competitive vulnerabilities associated with increased transparency to avoid hefty penalties for noncompliance. This changing landscape means manufacturers should not only build stronger compliance and reporting operations supported by automation, but also enhance analytics to incorporate the impacts of state regulations on pricing strategy.

This month’s column covers deals announced in August 2020. Data provided by Biomedtracker. 

Biogen and Denali entered into a potential $2.15bn alliance for Denali’s DNL151 for Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. Siemens Healthineers announced plans to acquire Varian Medical for $16.4bn. Financing reached $7.9bn in biopharma, $501m in device, and $639m in diagnostics.

Daiichi Sankyo partnered its Phase I DS-1062 for non-small cell lung cancer and triple negative breast cancer with AstraZeneca in a deal that could be worth up to $6bn. Medtronic entered into an agreement to acquire Medicrea in an all-cash tender offer for total consideration of approximately $228m (including approximately $57M of net cash and liabilities). Financing reached $11.7bn in biopharma, $1.4bn in device, and $597m in diagnostics.