Obesity. China. FDA turmoil. Our pharma 2026 Preview webinar was not the place to look for a change in the big pharma buzzwords for this year. These big themes remain with us for now. But there was still plenty for our expert panel to discuss during the session. If you missed it, you can catch it on demand here.
As always, the team ran through data highlights from the full report then discussed that and other big issues for the year ahead. Here are three highlights:
- Biopharma is back (although it never really left). Market sentiment has improved, but as Alex Shimmings of Scrip highlighted, the underlying strength of the sector never really disappeared. Pipelines remain strong, M&A appetite is returning and China’s rapid growth as an innovation hub is reshaping the competitive landscape. Buyer selectivity is increasing companies are looking for derisked, differentiated, assets – but those are becoming thin on the ground.
- The FDA is holding steady, for now. Alex neatly summarized the current situation at the FDA by saying “you can keep the show on the road for a while, but at some point, if you’ve not got the resources, it’s going to show up”. Approval numbers stayed near long term averages last year, but complete response letters (CRLs) climbed to a decade high. These nuances matter for launch planning, forecasting and valuation, and there is lots in the discussion that I recommend dipping into.
- AI expectations are rising, but it’s not a silver bullet. An audience question about the impact on AI led Evaluate’s Head of Consulting, Paul Verdin to note that AI is now everywhere from early discovery to late-stage commercialization. Increasingly he sees pharma companies exploring how they can apply AI to decision making to bring objectivity to the process. Norstella’s VP of Thought Leadership, Daniel Chancellor added that perhaps the strongest opportunity for AI is in its ability to improving the efficiency of clinical trial get new drugs to patients faster.
The panel covered a lot more, from questions around Most Favored Nation, to direct-to-consumer models, and who is working on the higher-risk assets that will deliver true innovation if everyone wants de-risked assets now. I strongly suggest watching the on-demand webinar and, of course, checking out the other 2026 Preview materials which you can find here.
We may not know exactly what 2026 has in store for pharma, but we know it’ll be interesting!
You can find out full back catalog of on-demand webinars here.
