For the first time in 61 years, China has reported its population is shrinking and the new demographic shift is likely to have a far-reaching impact on the pharma sector. Meanwhile, regulators have accelerated the approval of new COVID-19 drugs to relieve acute shortages.

Headwinds of political instability, violent conflict, inflation and recession accompany us into 2023. Scrip surveyed industry leaders on the impacts for biopharma.

Dr Toichi Takenaka, the first winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award in the inaugural Pharma Intelligence Awards Japan earlier this year, talks to Scrip about his journey from researcher to CEO and today as a mentor for Japanese bioventures. Starting his career in an “empty lab” in the 1960s motivated him to pursue a string of collaborations with universities in Japan and on to the discovery of four successful drugs.

Public Company Edition: Acrivon launched the 20^th biopharma IPO in the US for 2022. Also, Q3 updates reveal job cuts at Tricida, Harpoon, Neoleukin and more; APIM Therapeutics will reverse merge with Nordic Nanovector; plus other follow-on offerings, royalty deals and a sale-leaseback.