Sun Pharma's senior leadership talks to Scrip about the focus in India on differentiated therapies; the challenges of holding adequate 'strategic inventory' amid waves of the pandemic; and where things stand for active pharmaceutical ingredients. India’s top ranked drug firm is apparently not averse to a role in COVID-19 vaccine distribution, either.

Mergers and acquisitions are set to gain momentum in South Korea as firms outside the sector seek new growth engines and more open-minded biopharma companies seek rapid growth and globalization.

Moderna’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine has been cleared in India for restricted emergency use, with expectations building for a go-ahead for Pfizer/BioNTech’s jab too, though it will be important to see how the country deals with the contentious issue of indemnity to vaccine makers.

Korea's Samsung Biologics talked during the BIO Digital event about the key trends and new paradigms in the CDMO industry in the COVID-19 era, including expansion, diversification and personalization. Forward planning helped overcome pandemic-related challenges but logistics remains a major challenge.