The latest drug development news and highlights from the Pink Sheet’s US FDA Performance Tracker

Private Company Edition: NVCA and Pitchbook data show pharma and biotech companies raised $37.8bn in venture capital in 2021, up 41% from the record $26.8bn total in 2020. Recent mega-rounds include $190m for Maze and $200m for Alumis, and Sound Bioventures raised a €110m fund.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continued in 2021, the off-patent industry stepped in to provide relief in a variety of ways, whether through securing supplies of essential medicines or helping to manufacture and distribute newly-developed treatments.

The vaccines segment continues to draw the interest of participants beyond those firms with a traditional core presence, with new players largely building partnered capabilities around COVID-19 inoculations. Are these merely opportunistic forays or will the competitive landscape for vaccines stand altered more widely?