Drugmakers Are Likely to See Vaccine Boost, Regulatory Risk
In the year ahead, the three main “developments to watch” in the branded pharmaceuticals sector will include COVID-19 vaccine scale-up and distribution, continued legislative and regulatory pushback against high drug prices, and robust levels of merger and acquisition activity. That’s according to a new report from Moody’s Investors Service, which characterizes the vaccine race as generally helpful for drugmakers but political drug-pricing moves as an overall negative catalyst for the industry.
Regarding vaccines, Moody’s noted that Moderna Inc. as well as Pfizer Inc. and its partner BioNTech will continue to ramp up production of their COVID-19 vaccines and distribute them widely throughout 2021. “This will enhance revenue as well as social opportunities under our ESG [environmental, social and governance] framework,” the credit rating firm stated.