Private Company Edition: The astonishing pace of venture capital investment in drug development continues with another $1.5bn in financings of $100m or more, including $152m for Pyxis and $126m for Omega. New VC funds also continue to launch, including RiverVest’s fifth fund, totaling $275m.

Anticipating approval this summer of the first drug for PFIC, Albireo hopes to add Alagille syndrome and biliary atresia to odevixibat labeling. Firm has modeled its commercial plans on the success of other rare disease firms.

Dermatology, chronic kidney disease and liver disease therapies stand out in a crowd of user fee goals that is actually bigger than at the same point in 2020.

Executives expect the changes wrought by necessity in the face of a global pandemic to have lasting effects, both positive and negative, on the biopharma sector. Here they share their predictions for the coming year.