Experts including renowned virologist Peter Piot, FDA’s Peter Marks and CEPI’s Richard Hatchett discussed multiple dimensions pertaining to coronavirus variants and existing vaccines at a recent conference, noting enhanced post-deployment surveillance is underway in the US. While there’s no need to panic for every variant that emerges, equitable access to vaccines is critical to ensure that gains made over last year are not undone, they said.

Merck & Co. executive outlines how the company could sustain a “compliant supply performance” amid the pandemic, while senior officials from Sun Pharma, Cipla, Zydus Cadila and Biocon shared insights on coping with supply chain turbulence and moving away from over-dependence on China for starting materials.

Novartis counters speculation around pandemic-related staff cutbacks in India, saying that it actually upped the number of hires across its operations since January 2020. A senior executive separately provides a buoyant outlook for the Swiss firm’s global services operations in Hyderabad, which has added a significant number of new roles.

Lundbeck seeks to ward off Alembic and Hetero over alleged patent infringing activity pertaining to its depression therapy vortioxetine in India. The product is seen as one of the key drivers of growth in 2021 for the Danish company, which has settled infringement proceedings with over half a dozen generic opponents so far in the US.

All eyes are on a fundraising plan by Glenmark’s US innovation spin-out Ichnos, with management signaling that its proprietary BEAT platform will be the biggest value driver rather than any individual pipeline asset. The company's India business rang in a strong Q3, with remogliflozin and combinations expected to emerge as a significant franchise.

Experts discuss the complexities of pursuing compensation for COVID-19 vaccine-related injuries in India. Is there a case for ‘absolute liability’ for all injuries related to the two fast-tracked vaccines currently available, or alternatively a no-fault compensation program?