As PharmaTimes was going to press, more than 4 million people in the UK had received their first dose of a COVID vaccine, under the largest vaccination programme in British history.

National Health Service patients in the UK could get quicker access to innovative therapies via a new route for approval in the country.

The European Commission (EC) has approved Roche’s oral treatment Xofluza (baloxavir marboxil) for the treatment of influenza, making it the first new antiviral available for flu in nearly 20 years. The single-dose, oral medicine is now available in the EU as a treatment for uncomplicated influenza in patients aged 12 years and above, as well as for post-exposure prophylaxis of influenza in the same age groups, after showing in trials that it cut the duration of symptoms by over one day versus placebo.

Biogen and Apple are collaborating on a new virtual research study investigating the role smart devices could have on monitoring cognitive health.

The BOBI (Best Of Business Intelligence) awards give BI specialists the opportunity to showcase their skills and expertise. It’s a chance to celebrate the contribution they make to UK pharma, the NHS and patients.

Each year The Economist Intelligence Unit publishes an annual report giving its outlook for six global industries, one of which is the healthcare and pharmaceuticals sector. While 2020 made it clear that forecasting is far from foolproof, it remains an important task. In 2021, more than ever, companies need to be able to anticipate some of the challenges that lie ahead, many of which will still be driven by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Biosimilar medicines are follow-on versions of biologic therapies made by a second manufacturer after the patents expire on the ‘reference medicines’. Their primary role for health systems is economic – for they create competition between brands that check prices and increase the affordability of medicines. However, biosimilars have more than just an economic role, for they are drivers of innovation at many levels.

As with many other aspects of clinical practice, the impact of COVID-19 on prescribing patterns appears to have accelerated pre-existing trends rather than radically shifting them in a new direction.

Everyone has now had a chance to digest, over their Boxing Day turkey sandwiches, what the deal means for their sector or business, at least in headline terms. We know that there will be no tariffs on goods – as long as exporters can show compliance with the local content ‘Rules of Origin’. We know that mutual recognition of standards is very limited – with only mutual recognition of factory inspections for medical devices. Customs checks will generally apply, mitigated only by mutual recognition of trusted trader schemes – to start with, at least.

Just as the last track of the pitiful one-star-rated 2020 album played out, vaccines seemed to start dropping out of the sky like strikingly beautiful life-saving confetti. Suddenly, footage of tiny bottles amassing on factory apparatus punctuated every news bulletin. It was akin to a piece of installation art, with every identical vial appearing to represent one of us, while the endlessly moving conveyor seemed the perfect metaphor for our salvation; our great escape. Cautiously, we were dancing to a different tune – albeit socially distanced and, of course, wearing an absolutely bizarre array of face coverings.