Herceptin, Avastin and Rituxan biosimilars have achieved notable market penetration, outpacing other biosimilar launches and contributing to lower drug spending, according to a report from Amgen.

Regeneron's Eylea and Roche's Lucentis currently dominate the treatment market for wet-AMD and diabetic eye disease, but biosimilar ranibizumab and new brand launches are on the horizon.

Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly have gained a US approval for their SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, which could be extended further in coming months to other types of heart failure, adding to the products competing in this previously neglected therapeutic area.

The effect of low-dose psilocybin, a compound found in mushrooms, on a rare debilitating condition, short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headaches attacks, is to be evaluated by the 2019-founded UK biotech, Beckley Psytech.

Axsome Therapeutics’ lead candidate, AXS-05, was nearing the US market for major depressive disorder, but the US company is trying to find out more about deficiencies identified by US regulators; the biotech has also reported positive Phase II results in treatment-resistant depression.

A potential next-generation, 24-valent, pneumococcal vaccine in development by Affinivax and Astellas has shown strong immunogenicity in a Phase II study and is preparing to enter pivotal Phase III trials; if successful, it will target a growing market currently dominated by big pharma players.

Biogen has warned that uptake for its newly approved Alzheimer’s therapy will be slow in the beginning and doctors confirm it will take time to figure which patients can and should be treated.

The value of the COVID-19 market reached more than $8bn in the first quarter, fuelled by mRNA-based vaccines, but the future growth of the sector depends on the rather unpredictable course of the pandemic, and the response of healthcare providers and countries.

Janssen is the latest big pharma company to gain an approval for a new oral multiple sclerosis therapy in the EU, enhancing the competitiveness of the marketplace, and giving more choice for patients.