Every year, I am hugely fortunate to work with our team of experts to create the Evaluate World Preview report. Now in its 18th year, the World Preview offers a data-rich look at the future of the pharmaceutical industry. It’s full of forecast data that help to paint a picture of the shifting sands of hot therapy areas, the companies driving innovation, and a peek at the pipeline that will fuel pharma growth in the coming years.

The report is hugely valuable and of course, I recommend you read it. But the real magic happens when we bring the experts together to unpack what the numbers mean and to discuss the wider context. This year was no exception as our regular moderator Daniel Chancellor was joined by report author Melanie Senior and Anna Osborne for a discussion that went beyond the charts to explore the forces shaping pharma’s next decade.

Anna brought insightful commentary and a consultant’s critical eye to the key data, and then the panel discussed the broader issues that the data uncovered. From China’s growing influence to the changing face of biotech, there was a lot to absorb.

Inevitably, I am going to tell you to watch the on-demand version which is available here but, in the meantime, here are three things we learned.

1. The rise of China is part of shift towards a more global view: China is becoming a biotech powerhouse, driving dealmaking and accelerating innovation in a number of therapy areas, particularly oncology. However, Anna looked at this as part of a broader shift. As a consultant, she works on forecasts for early-stage products that would usually have had an almost exclusively US focus. However, more recently these projects have taken a broader view, including counties such as China and Brazil as pharma companies consider the commercial potential of their new therapies in different geographies.
2. Stakeholder roles are shifting across the pharma ecosystem: As well as a more global view, there are other changes afoot. Melanie pointed to the increased number of biotechs who are seeking to self-commercialize rather than relying on Big Pharma to reach the market. Recent success stories include Insmed and Verona Pharma. Meanwhile, Big Pharma players like Lilly and Novo Nordisk are going directly to consumers to deliver their GLP-1 products more quickly and efficiently. Changes are also happening in the financing and investment landscape with private equities buying up specialist VCs and Bain Capital buying Japanese pharmaceutical company Mitsubishi Tanabe.
3. Uncertainty underscores the need for a focus on efficiency and unmet need: The panel talked about the ongoing financing challenges for biotechs as the IPO window remains shut and investors are focus on fewer, larger rounds. They highlighted the importance of biotechs being as lean and capital efficient as possible, particularly with the competition from China. They also reminded viewers of the importance of focusing on true unmet need. While there are areas of the market that are increasingly crowded, there are still many indications with few therapies and cures remain vanishingly rare. Efficiency and focus are the watchwords.

This is all in addition to the discussion of geopolitical shifts, what’s next for the GLP-1 class, and how pharma can address falling R&D productivity. We also had lots of questions during the webinar so we’ll address those either directly or in a future blog post soon.

Ready to get the full picture?
You can watch the on-demand version of the World Preview webinar 2025 now – grab a coffee and your notebook to find out how you can chart a steady course through turbulent seas. You’ll find the recording here and you check out our full webinar back catalog here.

If you’d like to learn more about the early-stage forecasting projects that our consulting team can support, get in touch here.