COVID-19 Products Had Strong 2021, But Omicron Casts Shadow Over 2022

Windfall From Drugs, Vaccines Sparks Talk Of Merger Mania

 
• By Alaric DeArment
  
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Evidence that the new variant dulls drugs and vaccines’ efficacy creates uncertainty for 2022, but new products are in the wings.

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How the drug and vaccine market developed in 2021, and how Omicron hangs over 2022 • Source: Shutterstock

If 2020 was a year of hell in terms of the scale of destruction that COVID-19 wrought, 2021 – at least initially – was a year of hope, with the rollout of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 as well as a plethora of new drugs. But 2021 closed with renewed trepidation as the Omicron variant emerged like the cliffhanger ending of the season finale of a TV series, and its rapid rise to dominance has meant a cautious start to the 2022 season.

The whiplash-like manner in which the market for COVID-19 drugs played out in 2021 provides something of a case study...

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