The year ahead for the life sciences sector will be defined by advances in science, research and development, marketplace dynamics, economics, and politics. There will be successes and challenges along the way, and no shortage of uncertainty.

In this research brief, we outline several factors that can be used as indicators of positive progress in 2025 for the life sciences industry across multiple domains, including industry reputation, research and clinical development productivity, biotech funding, early intervention, therapeutic innovation, patient access to healthcare services, and health policy.

These indicators are not intended as predictions of what will happen — but rather a series of explicit markers that will reflect progress if they are achieved by the end of the year.

The 2025 indicators of progress are:

• Greater trust in life sciences companies
• Reduction in out-of-pocket costs for patients
• Expanded patient access to healthcare services
• Inclusive progress on the “Make America Healthy Again” agenda
• More focus on disease prevention and early intervention
• Restored growth in the emerging biopharma sector
• Improvements in clinical decision-making, processes, and technology deployment
• Expanded use of novel advanced therapies
• Higher Freshness Index for life sciences company product portfolios
• Increased contributions from markets outside of the U.S. to global sales of life sciences companies