This year has been a significant one in the pharma world, with new approaches in early drug discovery to novel drugs gaining approval – much has changed over the last 12 months. In late September a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee recommended Pfizer’s RSV vaccine for maternal immunisation (page 6) and recently Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim’s treatment for chronic kidney disease (CKD) received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval (page 6). Read more about the latest developments in our news section on pages 6-9.

This issue also includes sections on cardiovascular and metabolic health, with AstraZeneca considering the rise in non-communicable diseases and how health services can improve patient treatment (page 10). Next, we have an article from Theramex assessing the state of women’s healthcare in the UK and the steps that need to be taken to improve this (page 16). We also hear from Medidata on the need for diversity in clinical trials, specifically in terms of gender diversity (page 20).

Our final section this month covers oncology, which includes an article from BioMap, considering the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in immuno-oncology and how its use can improve drug discovery (page 22). Also in our oncology section, Parexel looks at the need for diversity in oncology clinical trials in order to fully realise the benefits of personalised medicine (page 28). Read on for all this and more!

If you’re attending the not-to-be-missed CPHI meeting in Barcelona from 24-26 October, be sure to pick up your print copy of Pharmafile, or go to our brand new website (magazine. pharmafile.com) to view the magazine there.

If you would like to be featured in future issues of Pharmafile, please contact me at betsy@pharmafile.com for any editorial enquiries or Eliot at eliot@pharmafile.com for commercial enquiries.

As the nights draw in and the weather gets colder, we hope you find the time to get cosy indoors and enjoy the autumn 2023 issue of Pharmafile!