The company kicked off the new year with a new CEO, plans to break out consumer health, and a strong financial position, including $32bn in cash and lowest level of net debt in more than four years.

New maternal/pediatric work group will consider recommendations for use of RSV vaccines and monoclonal antibodies targeting protection of children <18 years. With several products in the late-stage pipeline, group has begun reviewing RSV epidemiology and discussing cost-effectiveness.

The rate at which investigational drugs were accepted onto the European Medicines Agency’s priority medicines scheme dropped in 2021. Meanwhile, more much-needed treatments that had been developed under the scheme went on to win EU marketing approval.

Biopharma will outline its growth goals for 2022 over the coming weeks, with J&J, Novartis, AbbVie, Merck, Roche, Biogen and Lilly among the first to report.