Disrupted cancer care in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic
Patients with chronic conditions such as cancer are experiencing disrupted care in their disease management and treatment due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As hospitals are becoming rapidly overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients, many medical oncologists have advised cancer patients to delay chemotherapy until the outbreak has subsided.
Nearly half of Covid-19 deaths are among 80 years and older adults
The average proportion of deaths in seven major markets (7MM: US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, China, South Korea and Singapore) highlights that men and women over the age of 60 years account for the majority of Covid-19 deaths and nearly half of all deaths are among men and women aged 80 years and older. However, Covid-19 deaths in Singapore are only among men and women over the age of 60 years.
Covid-19 leads to unpredictable IPOs and venture financing deals for biopharma companies
According to GlobalData’s Pharma Intelligence Center Deals Database, IPOs for biopharma companies developing therapeutics completed in the first quarter of 2020 have seen a drop of almost 30% compared to 2019, which is even more worrisome when considering that 2019 saw a 25% increase in IPOs compared to the same quarter in 2018.
Sanofi and partners’ success with repurposed antibodies for Covid-19 depend on recruiting less critically ill patients
Use of repurposed antibodies already approved for other indications to effectively treat Covid-19, like those from Sanofi in partnership with Regeneron, Roche and Eusa Pharma, require early intervention in the disease, even as trials include critically ill patients. Using biomarkers to identify responders and track efficacy would also improve their chances.
