More than 100 biopharma executives and experts told Scrip their predictions for therapeutic area advances in the coming year. The recent commercial success of GLP-1s in diabetes and obesity and their potential in further disease areas fuelled excitement around the metabolic space. Expectations were also positive in neurology following the launch of Leqembi for Alzheimer’s disease in 2023, while the multiple opportunities to improve cancer treatment kept oncology top of the pile overall.

Restructuring Edition: The industry emerged from the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference feeling renewed confidence about deal-making and financing, but drug developers continue to run short on cash or cut programs and jobs before the money runs out, including Cara, PMV and Ikena.

Biotech entrepreneurs tend to be an optimistic group, and there were many pockets of hope for 2024. However, the consensus remains that depressed valuations and paucity of fresh funds will continue to pose a challenge for the sector, and companies will need to prioritize carefully and work even harder to demonstrate and create value.

To date, nine major pairs of antibody and payload-linker platform makers based in China are making a concerted approach for ADC research and development, research by Scrip reveals.