The year was marked by record levels of biopharma M&A activity and a strong IPO market. Measures designed to deliver early access to new medicines continued to advance on both sides of the Atlantic, while pricing came in for renewed attention as new, highly effective but extremely expensive products reached the market.

While endocrine-disrupting evidence was inconclusive, the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety recommends more conservative limits on use of homosalate, octocrylene and benzophenone-3 in cosmetic products compared with current requirements under the European Cosmetics Product Regulation.

The risk of inadvertently growing SARS-CoV-2 virus in cell and gene therapies and possibly infecting patients and workers should be assessed and mitigated, the agency advises.