Our annual report spotlighting notable investments in new drug development captures a mix of gradual gains and giant leaps—both equally as promising—in five expanding and diverse therapeutic areas: spinal muscular atrophy, hemophilia A, intranasal and inhaled vaccines, gene-targeted therapy, and RNA therapeutics.
In drug development, innovation happens in two ways: Incrementally, with each iteration of a product marked by slight improvements over what came before it, or exponentially, with new drugs boasting efficacy or safety profiles that are orders of magnitude better than existing therapies. Both approaches hold value. Perfecting established drugs, or finding new ways to apply the principles that underlie them, is equally as innovative as developing new treatments. Moreover, both approaches are imperative to meet gaps in the market and serve patients’ short-term and long-term healthcare needs.