A year is a long time in biopharma. Pharmaprojects’ annual pipeline review finds changes in the therapeutic spread of drug candidates and a reordering of the top R&D companies, as Chinese firms made their presence felt all the more over the past 12 months.

Eli Lilly, striving to outpace Novo Nordisk, dominated the dealmaking scene in 2023 by executing six acquisitions. Although Pfizer, BMS and AbbVie sealed the largest M&A deals of the year, they did not lead in terms of volume.

Eisai and Lilly were the biggest winners at the 19^th Annual Scrip Awards in a glittering ceremony at the Dorchester in London’s Mayfair, hosted by the actor and comedian Jon Culshaw.

Lilly has agreed to pay $1.4bn to acquire Point even though the company’s two lead candidates are out-licensed to Lantheus. The deal looks like an early-stage play to build a strong position in an emerging field.