In an unprecedented move, eight of India’s top pharma companies, including Sun Pharma, Cipla, Torrent and Lupin, have set up a common vehicle for digitization initiatives. Having acquired local market research firm AIOCD AWACS and B2B platform Pharmarack, could the mandate extend to other services?

Agreeing that decentralized trials are here to stay, experts discussed in a recent meeting ways in which the pharma research landscape is set to change. With nearly 85% of the industry at different stages of adoption, such trials have seen greater traction in the US, while stricter data privacy laws have hampered progress in Europe, ISCR’s annual conference heard.

An new $2.1bn incentive scheme for formulations follows on from an earlier scheme for APIs in India. Experts weigh in on the likelihood of industry participation and whether this $3bn push will result in $41bn of incremental sales for the industry while strengthening supply chains in a post-COVID world. 

While speculation mounts about Serum Institute being next in line for an RDIF partnership, Gland Pharma and Strides unit Stelis sign up to make COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V. Part of the 550 million dose output tied up from India so far could be consumed domestically, but exports are a possibility as demand from European countries is set to jump.

Plus deals involving I-Mab/Complix, Lupin/Endoceutics, Genome & Co/Pfizer/Merck KGaA, Genome & Co/Debiopharm, Exelixis/WuXi, Intas/Foresee, Wugen/Alpha Biosciences

A COVID-19 vaccine alliance between US, Japan, India and Australia announced funding for Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine made by Biological E. Will the arrangement be extended to other vaccines and will the alliance push US to address materials export concerns, recently raised by Serum Institute?