Global regulators have been discussing how best to approach vaccination in the face of possible future coronavirus variants, and whether bivalent or multivalent vaccines could be the answer.

More progress for vaccines and oral antivirals in Asia as South Korea issues an approval for Novavax's vaccine, Pfizer files for Japanese approval of Paxlovid, and SK bio progresses late-stage trials of its recombinant vaccine. 

Chaos wrought by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. A heavy workload and continuing resource constraints at the European Medicines Agency. Nonetheless, a record number of novel drugs and vaccines were cleared for marketing in the EU last year.

While an mRNA vaccine is still missing, 2021 saw Indian companies strike alliances, battle legal action and gain funding while the regulator played a crucial enabling role in the run up to the approval of eight COVID-19 vaccines from zero in 2020.