Looking back on 2022, the keyword of the year in pharmacy is _____?

Hear, extraordinary 2022

The tide is rushing, the journey is magnificent, and 2022 has left a strong mark. We have experienced the epidemic and "survived the sun". Capital winter, the pharmaceutical sector is down, in a difficult environment, we are still moving forward!

Pharma Intelligence Toutiao personally felt and participated in the changes of the "medicine circle" this year. The "eight keywords" and "eight hot events" listed below will be written into the history of the pharmaceutical circle in 2022, let's taste the bitterness and sweetness of the pharmaceutical industry together!

Capital winter

Big events: Frequent layoffs, factory sales, and bankruptcy of pharmaceutical companies

Last year, everyone's life was not good, and large and small pharmaceutical companies were laying off employees. A high-profile layoff in 2022 is the pharmaceutical giant Novartis' plan to lay off about 8,000 people worldwide, and before the announcement, the "wind" was all over the place. Immediately afterwards, Eisai, a well-known Japanese pharmaceutical company, also began to lay off employees due to the adjustment of its R&D structure. According to statistics, in 2022, pharmaceutical companies experienced a total of 119 layoffs, of which November was the most difficult month, with as many as 23 companies laying off employees.

On one side of the coin, layoffs reduce costs, and the flow of medical talents has become more frequent, while the other side of the coin is "bankruptcy", "land sale" and "slimming". Under the cold winter of capital, the pharmaceutical giants that once dominated the north have not escaped the scourge of bankruptcy, and the biotechs have a bad time, selling factories of factories, stopping production, in addition, there are pipeline adjustments and pipeline cuts. In 2022, too much money and tears of pharmaceutical companies were buried.

Promote the development of traditional Chinese medicine

Major event: The "14th Five-Year Plan" for the development of Chinese medicine was released, giving Chinese medicine a higher level and greater support

The "14th Five-Year Plan" for the development of Chinese medicine clarifies the guiding ideology, basic principles and development goals for the development of Chinese medicine during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, puts forward 10 key tasks and 11 work columns, and refines specific measures for each key task. For example, in terms of deepening the reform of the field of traditional Chinese medicine, it is proposed to establish an evaluation system that meets the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine, improve the modern hospital management system, improve the price and medical insurance policies of traditional Chinese medicine, reform and improve the registration and management of traditional Chinese medicine, and promote comprehensive reform in the field of traditional Chinese medicine.

Industry insiders said that attaching great importance to the quality of traditional Chinese medicine will help ensure the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine, make the people trust traditional Chinese medicine more, and promote the high-quality development of traditional Chinese medicine.

Pharmaceutical mergers and acquisitions

Big event: China Resources Sanjiuhao threw 2.9 billion yuan to acquire the listed company KunYao Group, leaving the market with unlimited speculation

On May 8, 2022, CR Sanjiu disclosed its major asset purchase plan, intending to pay 2.902 billion yuan in cash to purchase 28% of the shares of KunYao Group. On November 29, 2022, CR Sanjiu issued the "Report on Major Asset Purchase (Draft)", and after the completion of the transaction, KunYao Group will become the holding subsidiary of CR Sanjiu.

What is the intention of joining KunYao Group? It is reported that after the completion of the transaction, CR Sanjiu will undertake the industrial development plan of Sanqi in Yunnan Province, and is committed to building KunYao Group into a leading enterprise in the Sanqi industrial chain, and promoting the modernization and industrialization of traditional Chinese medicine around its core plant resources such as Sanqi and Artemisia annua.

The first Chinese original CAR-T "going to sea"

Big event: Legendary creature CAR-T products successfully went to sea

Going overseas is undoubtedly an important plan for innovative pharmaceutical companies. But in 2022, only legendary creatures showed their legends and landed on the US market, and other products either failed clinically or were rejected by the FDA.

On February 28, 2022, the BCMACAR-T cell therapy drug of Legend Biologics and Johnson & Johnson was officially approved by the US FDA, which is the first Chinese original CAR-T drug approved for marketing in the United States, which has attracted much attention in the domestic innovative drug industry and injected a shot of strength into many innovative pharmaceutical companies that have encountered setbacks in their attempts to go overseas.

Although the FDA's door is open, the review system is becoming increasingly stringent, which makes it more difficult to "break through" the FDA.

Normalization of collective procurement

Major event: The seventh batch of national centralized procurement drugs landed, and the average price of 60 drugs was reduced by 48%

On July 18, 2022, the National Organization Drug Joint Procurement Office issued the Notice on Announcing the Selection Results of National Centralized Drug Procurement (GY-YD2022-1).

According to the announcement, 60 kinds of drugs were successfully purchased, and the average price of selected drugs was reduced by 48%, covering 31 treatment categories, including drugs for major diseases such as lung cancer, liver cancer, kidney cancer, and bowel cancer, as well as drugs for common diseases and chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, anti-infection, and digestive tract diseases, and it is expected to save 18.5 billion yuan per year according to the agreed procurement amount.

The number of varieties involved is large, and the price reduction is large. By exchanging quantity for price, the centralized procurement of drugs effectively ensures that patients can afford and use high-quality commonly used drugs, and stabilizes the "basic plate" of medical safety.

Sky-high drugs

Big event: The record of "the world's most expensive drug" was set 3 times

A sky-high drug called "Zynteglo" - a gene therapy used by Bluebird Biotech to treat β-thalassemia. On August 17, 2022, it received FDA approval for $2.8 million.

Just 30 days later, Skysona, a gene therapy drug used by Blue Bird Bio to slow down neurological dysfunction in boys aged 4-17 with early active cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy (CALD), went on the market for a staggering $3 million!

On November 22, 2022, the world's most expensive medicine king was born! Hemgenix was approved by the FDA, the world's first hemophilia B gene therapy, with up to 3.5 million US dollars (about 25 million yuan) per dose, which once again attracted our attention!

The sky-high cost makes most patient families prohibitive, but most of these are orphan drugs, and the price is extremely high due to several factors such as the small market and the inability to share the high R&D costs.

Network governance

Major event: The "Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Online Drug Sales" was implemented to ensure the safety of online drug purchases

Because of the convenience of the Internet, more and more people choose to buy drugs online, and the drug online sales industry has ushered in rapid development, but there are also individual violations of laws and regulations, which increases the risk of drug use. The Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Online Drug Sales, implemented on December 1, 2022, have truly ushered in an era of strong supervision in online drug sales, implemented territorial responsibilities, strengthened online and offline integrated supervision, further improved the convenience of patients in purchasing drugs, and improved the drug purchase experience.

The whole people grabbed medicine

Big event: the whole people snapped up ibuprofen, and the new crown implemented Class B

At the end of the year, the optimization of epidemic prevention was relaxed, the number of infected people surged, the demand for medicines increased significantly, and the whole people rushed to grab ibuprofen, thermometers, and Lianhua Qingwei... According to reports, the peak of the first wave of infections has passed, and the number of infected people nationwide is nearly 1 billion. After a comprehensive assessment of factors such as virus mutation, epidemic situation and the foundation of China's national defense and control, from January 8, 2023, the new crown virus infection will be adjusted from "Class B tube" to "Class B tube", which is a major adjustment of China's new crown epidemic prevention and control policy.

In your opinion, which of the above eight keywords poked you? Which one makes you uneasy? The haze of the past is gradually dissipating, life is restarting, and the pharmaceutical industry in 2023 will definitely be more vibrant. What's next?