Multiple COVID-19 vaccines, including from J&J, Pfizer and RDIF, are seen gaining approvals in India in 2021, following on from a raft of R&D, manufacturing and marketing tie-ups, as well as other developments, in the action-packed field last year. 

Private Company Edition: The pre-J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference financing news deluge during the first week of 2021 included several significant venture capital deals, including a $226m series B round for Affinivax, Ikena’s $120m series B round and an $88m series A round for Aro.

J&J executive emphasizes that fast-tracked development of COVID-19 vaccines does not come with any corners cut around safety. Indian partner Biological E also outlines the complexities in manufacturing and believes that the candidates from J&J, AstraZeneca and others will be more suitable in profile and price terms to contain the pandemic globally.

SK set for Korean trial with vaccine, as Biological E begins human trials of Baylor vaccine. Meanwhile, DongWha gets a Phase II nod for potential drug, and Celltrion progesses with Phase II regdanvimab trial.