In light of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Scrip looks at data to gauge if manufacturing partners for COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V or Light, in India, China and Korea could be left holding unsold inventory earmarked for exports

AstraZeneca’s Shaun Grady is an affable dealmaker whose talents – honed over three decades inside the group – are being put to the test as global business development head to help ensure Britain’s second-biggest drugmaker can successfully transform itself, its therapy focus and pipeline. He tells In Vivo about his role leading AZ’s transaction execution, due diligence and alliance and integration management, while overseeing its collaborative “externalization” program, licensing and partnering, M&A and divestments.

AstraZeneca’s total focus on its core therapy areas will ensure it keeps building external collaborations and doing deals to generate new therapies while maximizing revenues, but outright sales of non-core mature medicines are likely to be fewer going forward, according to the company’s head of business development.

Q1 biopharma financing totaled $5.7 billion, a sharp drop from Q4, but this time early-stage venture rounds were the most popular fundraising vehicle;Q1 M&A also declined, totaling $12.3 billion, mostly from Mylan's $9.9 billion buy of Meda. The top alliance was again by Sanofi, in a five-year potential $2.26 billion collaboration with DiCE Molecules to develop oral small-molecule therapies against up to 12 targets.