Contents
Therapeutic Areas in FocusVOLUME 74 AUTUMN 2022Our brand-new news section covers hot topics from the most important mergers and acquisitions, some significant drug approvals, investigations in the pharma sphere and major news in the world of oncology.Keep up to date with the biggest news from the pharma world from pages 6 to 11.
Neurology is a key focus topic within this edition, exploring the advances in neurological research, as well as analysing the unmet needs in the field and its future. Many developments have already been made – for example, the use of AI and digital tech – but there is still a long way to go in understanding the needs of patients and in further advancing research techniques.
Rare diseases are difficult to diagnose and treat. As a result, there is constant research and analysis in this area, evident in the largest section of this edition. Rare disease research has long been neglected, in part due to its inherent difficulties. With rare diseases beginning to garner more attention, patient advocacy organisations - a powerful tool for rare diseases researchers - also deserve recognition in this space.
Heart disease is ranked as the largest cause of death worldwide, making research into novel treatments hugely important. Equally important is ensuring equivalent access to medicine and therapies in cardiovascular disease treatment, as vast inequalities have arisen since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Executive Director – PMGroup Worldwide Ltd - Karl Equi kequi@pmlive.comGroup Managing Editor – PMGroup Worldwide Ltd - Iona Everson IEverson@pmlive.comEditorial Assistant - Betsy Goodfellow betsy@pharmafile.comSales Manager - Eliot Haynes eliot@pharmafile.comDesigner - Peter May designer@samedanltd.comPharmafile is published each Spring and Autumn.
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- EDITOR’S LETTER
As 2022 draws to a close, this is a good opportunity to reflect on the developments that have occurred in the pharma industry during the last twelve months and to look forward to 2023.This year has seen many changes: we had three different prime ministers in three months, mourned the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and welcomed a new monarch, King Charles, while still dealing with the ongoing impact of COVID-19.In line with the changes this year has brought, Pharmafile has a fresh new look, with this edition introducing a new section of news that covers topics from mergers and acquisitions to R&D and approvals. Read more in our news round-up, starting on page 6, which includes news that J&J is buying Abiomed for over $17bn, Norstella and Citeline have merged to create a $5bn pharma tech firm and DJS Antibodies, an Oxford-based biotechnology company, has been bought by AbbVie for $255m.We will also continue to bring you in-depth feature articles, in this issue featuring three areas: neurology, rare diseases, and cardiovascular and metabolic health.Our neurology section includes articles on AI, unmet needs and challenges in neurology research and the importance of early treatment, with the cover article from Cumulus Neuroscience focusing on AI and digital technology in neurology.Also in this section, Martin Citron from UCB talks about the challenges facing neurology and how the combination of new mechanisms, new platforms and new biomarker insights will hopefully inspire more success in the field.In the rare diseases section, Michael Braunagel from Actigen talks about how the rare disease treatment market has been transformed in recent years and Giacomo Chiesi from the Chiesi Group looks at the challenges of studying and treating rare diseases, and the future of rare disease research.Our third section on cardiovascular and metabolic health includes an article by Paul Nioi and Brendan Martin from Anylam on RNA-based therapeutics and the benefits for patient care and an article by Ian Crosbie from Sequana Medical looks at novel treatments for chronic heart failure with diuretic-resistant congestion.Enjoy this issue!Contact Eliot Haynes at ehaynes@pmlive.com to find out more about opportunities for thought leaders, company profiles and feature articles.For editorial enquiries, contact Betsy at betsy@pharmafile.com
