Early COVID-19 therapies including Gilead’s remdesivir, China-plus procurement policies, vaccine partnerships and a dovish stance by the central bank led to returns on India biotech and healthcare funds outperforming global returns. Meanwhile, funding for e-pharmacies and online consulting firms gathered pace.

Executives from J&J, Pfizer and Johns Hopkins share ideas on driving Indian biopharma innovation via innovation centers and incubators set up in association with academic institutions. On the other side of the table, Indian academia highlights the need for industry participation in skill building and the perils of ‘targeted thinking’

Strides has pushed back US revenue guidance of $225m-$250m by a year to FY23 amid price erosion and substantial competition in the market. Meanwhile, the firm’s CEO says Merck’s molnupiravir and Pfizer’s Paxlovid are not seen impacting COVID-19 vaccine uptake as boosters and immunization for travel will drive continued demand. The Indian company expects to book Sputnik Light sales from Q4.