Enjoying a 5% sales rise, Bayer Consumer Health grew faster than the global market last year, with the company keen to repeat the performance in 2021.

Experts including renowned virologist Peter Piot, FDA’s Peter Marks and CEPI’s Richard Hatchett discussed multiple dimensions pertaining to coronavirus variants and existing vaccines at a recent conference, noting enhanced post-deployment surveillance is underway in the US. While there’s no need to panic for every variant that emerges, equitable access to vaccines is critical to ensure that gains made over last year are not undone, they said.

It’s yet another internal deadline missed by the US agency in publishing a draft of its overhauled Quality System Regulation, which is being harmonized with international quality systems standard ISO 13485.