China's Zai Lab and Everest are still pursuing profitability on the commercialization of in-licensed assets, while BioNova and others have already bowed out of the game.

More than 100 biopharma executives and experts told Scrip their predictions for therapeutic area advances in the coming year. The recent commercial success of GLP-1s in diabetes and obesity and their potential in further disease areas fuelled excitement around the metabolic space. Expectations were also positive in neurology following the launch of Leqembi for Alzheimer’s disease in 2023, while the multiple opportunities to improve cancer treatment kept oncology top of the pile overall.

Looking ahead on manufacturing and supply-related issues in 2024, respondents told Scrip to expect companies to bring their supply chains closer to home, improvements for delivery of cell and gene therapies, a focus by contract manufacturers and developers on sustainability and continued emphasis on access to critical drugs.

Public Company Edition: Discussions at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference 8-11 January in San Francisco should offer some insight on industry’s and investors’ expectations about the financial markets in 2024. The year started with some big financings, but also some new job cuts.