Multiple factors were behind Merck & Co’s rise to ace AstraZeneca and others to become the leading pharma multinational in the world’s second-largest pharma market in 2023, including partnerships and competition and a strong position in the growing HPV vaccine sector.

Scottish biotech Mironid is in the preclinical stages of developing a treatment for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, a genetic condition which for around half of patients can led to kidney failure by the time they reach 60 years of age. In Vivo spoke to chief medical officer Cass Kelleher about the company’s development strategy.

Following in the steps of Merck & Co. and GSK, Pfizer is turning to a Chinese partner to more broadly market one of its top vaccines in the country - but the US firm is going one step further.

After earlier this year revealing that it had dropped a collaboration with BiosanaPharma on a biosimilar omalizumab rival to Xolair, Alvotech has now announced a fresh licensing deal for development and commercialization of a version from Kashiv BioSciences.