Turnover at the German group's pharma unit has been hit harder than forecast by the coronavirus pandemic and hefty price cuts linked to China's drug procurement policy but Bayer remains upbeat.

Sun’s Q1 earnings were dented by provisions related to the generic pricing investigation settlement with the US Department of Justice of arm Taro, and the impact of pandemic-related lockdowns. Some clinic-administered products bore the brunt of lock-downs in parts of the US, though market share was unaffected.

Novartis India chief outlines how the company is navigating the challenging business environment amid the coronavirus pandemic, including for its for-profit social business. Digital solutions are a key part of these efforts and the executive offers advice for those struggling to balance the work-life mix in these testing times.

Alembic and Biocon kick off the Q1 earnings season in India with significant growth in the active pharmaceutical ingredients business and expect to see continued momentum in the area. More Indian firms could gain as customers realign strategies and move away from single sources to de-risk their supply chain, learning from pandemic-related disruptions.

While the traditional players such as Pfizer and GSK, as well as newcomer AstraZeneca, are hot in pursuit of a COVID-19 vaccine, the Swiss major is sticking to drugs, the area where "we do have deep expertise," CEO Vas Narasimhan told journalists.

The UK biotech will have no problems funding a Phase III program for its nebulized first-in-class COPD therapy ensifentrine as investors old and new flocked to buy into the stock.

Lutz Hegemann, chief operating officer for global health at Novartis, tells Scrip the project will continue until a vaccine or curative treatments have reached the world's poorest places, not just until they are first approved in a high income country.

Takeda launches blockbuster gastrointestinal drug vedolizumab in India, stepping up the tempo on the back of the local base provided by its acquisition of Shire. More expansion in the country appears to be in store for the Japanese firm.

Having secured FDA approval, the UK's Acacia Pharma will market Byfavo, the first new product in the sedation space in decades, which was licensed from Italy's Cosmo and developed by Germany's Paion.