C&EN’s Year in Pharma

Abstract

PHARMACEUTICALS C&EN’s Year in PharmaViruses continued to plague us as the industry looked to what’s beyond the peak of the pandemic ShareShare onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail C&EN, 2022, 100 (43), pp 32–33December 5, 2022Cite this:C&EN 100, 43, 32-33(Credit: Shutterstock/C&EN)Figure1of1It’s hard to believe from the vantage point of December, but the start of 2022 brought the peak of the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 wave. The antiviral Paxlovid was new to the scene. Many people were seeking their third messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine dose—and many had yet to receive a first.But now, after more than 2 years of near-singular focus on the pandemic, after more than 630 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and nearly 13 billion doses of administered vaccine, the drug industry, along with much of the rest of the world, is looking to what’s next. New strains of the COVID-19-causing virus may still be emerging, but even Anthony Fauci, the US’s face of the pandemic and the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is stepping down from his role this month to pursue his “next chapter.”In 2023, new laws on drug pricing brought by the US Inflation Reduction Act may change pharma and biotech company priorities. mRNA vaccine makers will continue pursuing influenza, HIV, and other health threats as possible targets for their world-changing technology. And a host of drugs and technologies will succeed or fail. But as we head into 2023, C&EN looks back at where we’ve been. The following pages describe the highs and lows of the drug industry in 2022—new approved drugs, the fallout of the invasion of Ukraine, the ongoing ups and downs of the quest to treat Alzheimer’s disease, and more: C&EN’s Year in Pharma. Table of contentsViruses weren’t done with us P.342022 was a paradoxical year for biotech P.36Ukrainian chemists persevered P.38A light year for drug approvals P.40US Supreme Court decision put medication abortions in the spotlight P.42The roller-coaster ride continued for Alzheimer’s drug candidates P.44Genetic therapies kept moving from lab to clinic P.46