Editor's corner: The year of vaccines for Fierce Pharma

A few weeks ago, the Merriam-Webster dictionary selected "vaccine" as its word of the year for 2021. So too was the story at Fierce Pharma.

Nine of Fierce Pharma's top 10 most read stories this year centered on COVID-19 vaccines. It's only right that a year so dominated by pandemic headlines—and vaccine advances—would see a huge spike in interest in the subject. Pfizer's impressive mRNA vaccine called Comirnaty, Moderna's rival shot Spikevax and the important programs from AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax all captured at least one spot in our top 10 rankings this year.

Throughout the year, as COVID-19 vaccines made their way to more and more people, it seemed as if the world might be in a better place entering 2022 with respect to the pandemic. But the virus had another trick up its sleeve with omicron, and, now, we find ourselves bracing for a longer fight than we'd hoped. 

Fierce Pharma didn't only cover COVID-19 vaccines in 2021, of course. Many other subjects cracked our top 50 stories, including pieces on Biogen's controversial Alzheimer's disease drug Aduhelm, Novo Nordisk's Wegovy launch and a Johnson & Johnson lung cancer approval.

Our special reports this year touched on R&D productivity, drug launch disasters, inspiring women in the industry and more.

Thanks for sticking with us during these tough times. We'll be on a lighter publishing schedule through the holidays, with no newsletters, but we'll see you back here at full speed in 2022.

Here are Fierce Pharma's top 10 most read stories in 2021:

1. Pfizer, Moderna COVID vaccines face new safety probe in Europe over possible link to skin condition, 2 kidney disorders
2. Pfizer, AstraZeneca COVID vaccines probed in Europe after reports of heart inflammation, rare nerve disorder
3. Pfizer eyes higher prices for COVID-19 vaccine after the pandemic wanes: exec, analyst
4. FDA could reject AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine on efficacy and manufacturing shortfalls: analyst
5. FDA asks for 55 years to complete FOIA request on Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine
6. Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine under scrutiny at EMA after 4 'serious cases' of unusual blood clots
7. Novavax's COVID-19 shot won't see much U.S. use, but a big global market awaits: analyst
8. AstraZeneca's diabetes drug Farxiga nabs coveted kidney disease nod, way ahead of rival Jardiance
9. Pfizer, Moderna COVID-19 vaccines will get label warning over rare heart risk, FDA says
10. JPM: 'Very soon,' says Johnson & Johnson CEO as world waits for its COVID-19 vaccine data