Tag Archive for: Covid-19

Patent disputes are part of everyday life in pharma. What is unusual is the timing. More than three years after the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Bayer has launched a broad patent offensive against the makers of mRNA vaccines – just as the market has cooled and the pandemic feels firmly in the rear-view mirror. Understandable from a financial perspective, perhaps, but still raising questions about the timing.

Picture: © Cohesion Bureau

Continuing geopolitical uncertainty has perpetuated volatility in global markets, exacerbated by higher inflation and interest rates. The impact has left the biotech market in a limbo as investors eschew riskier investments, but there are signs of a potential recovery ahead.

Ion Arocena; General Manager Asebio; © Asebio

Biotechnology is helping us tackle challenges such as emerging diseases, the impact of ageing in healthcare, population growth, climate change, and the green transition of the economy. Precision medicines, advanced therapies, mRNA and gene editing technologies are transforming the way diseases can be diagnosed and treated, providing life-saving solutions. Biotechnology is also at the forefront of building a sustainable economy, developing better crops, providing new protein sources, and producing bio-based materials.

Picture: © Cohesion Bureau

Biotechnology was dramatically rewarded in the financial markets through much of 2020 and the first half of 2021, widely credited for providing the COVID-19 vaccines. This followed four already exceptional years in the financial markets, with the Nasdaq Biotech Index (NBI) hitting its all-time high of 5449.32 on 30 August 2021.

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The International Vaccine Institute, IVI, which is associated with the WHO and UN, will locate its European office in Stockholm. To date, the institute is only located in the host country of South Korea.