A year after COVID-19 first turned the world upside down, executives across the biopharma industry consider what 2021 holds in store. The impact of the pandemic will have profound and long-lasting implications for a sector that has been at the heart of responding to the global health challenge.

Around 100 executives highlight the hot areas to watch on the R&D front in 2021. From cancer to CNS and from regenerative medicine to real world data, expectations are high on many fronts.

The coronavirus pandemic could be a turning point for master protocol and platform trial designs, but clear guidance and coordination are still needed.

As remdesivir’s change in primary endpoint illustrates, there are many ways to measure potential treatments. A Pink Sheet analysis of 50 Phase III clinical trial protocols found numerous different approaches. Adaptive trials seems critical for speed, but a survival endpoint seems essential for durability.