INDUSTRY
Metrics on Covid-19: Highlights of the Evaluate Vantage Report We can always depend on Evaluate Vantage to keep us current on developments across the industry. Here are highlights from their most recent report, a compendium of articles on all aspects of how the coronavirus is impacting healthcare, and by extension all of us who depend on the professionals fighting this disease. The coronavirus pandemic has changed the focus for all of healthcare. Johnson & Johnson, the first big pharma company to report first quarter earnings, said its pharmaceutical and consumer health units had a strong start to the year as patients and medical suppliers stocked up, fearing supply issues. But it was a different story in medtech, where non-urgent joint replacement procedures have been hit hard, and could fall by as much as 80% in the second quarter. Similarly, when looking at industry data on M&A activity or venture
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investing, little slowdown can be seen in the first quarter data. Deals were struck in the opening months of the year, but these had probably already been in progress when the virus struck; it is hard to imagine even the most motivated buyer initiating large and complex transactions while in lockdown. Venture funds are flush with cash and remain motivated to fund start-ups, which will perhaps shield this particular sector; IPOs have also held up remarkably well considering the stock market meltdown. But no activity can
remain unaffected by a protracted disruption, and estimates of when the world might return to normal are little more than guesses. Some modeling studies have suggested that periods of lockdown might be required until 2022. An effective treatment or vaccine would be a game changer, and many in biopharma are in pursuit of this goal. Collaborations between industry, academia and notfor-profits have emerged at pace: a vaccines tie-up between Sanofi and Glaxosmithkline is a remarkable example of global rivals joining
