News and views from day two of the BIO Digital annual meeting include the increasing number of small companies driving US product approvals, the US FDA's Patrizia Cavazzoni on science vs. emotion at advisory committees and Merck & Co.'s Julie Gerberding on the need for continued HIV/AIDS research.

News and views from day two of the BIO Digital annual meeting include the increasing number of small companies driving US product approvals, an update on the Reagan-Udall RWE Accelerator project and Merck & Co.'s Julie Gerberding on the need for continued HIV/AIDS research.

Public Company Edition: The pace of US initial public offerings slowed a bit in April and May but could ramp back up in June as biopharma investor sentiment rebounds. Also, drug developers continue to go public via SPAC mergers, most recently Valo Health with a $2.8bn post-deal valuation.

The market for blood glucose monitoring devices is expected to see double-digit growth, reaching $19.7bn by 2025. This growth is driven largely by the rising demand for smaller, more convenient continuous glucose monitoring (CGMs) devices with improved digital capabilities.