The Future’s Bright – the Future’s Biosimiliar

The first biosimilar was launched in 2006, but it is only now that the explosion of biosimilars into the market seems guaranteed. With the imminent or recent patent expiry of a range of biologics in oncology, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes the scene is set for a dynamic influx of biosimilars that promise patients and healthcare...
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Evolution of cannabinoids from recreation to mainstream

The proposed role for cannabis in medicine has been leveraged for some years now, with illegal sources being smoked or baked to ameliorate clinical issues such as muscle spasticity or pain. Cannabis for medical use is for sale legally in some states in the USA, and most recently in Thailand and the Isle of Man...
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Parkinson’s disease: hopes, challenges and the future

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a debilitating progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects about 145,000 people in the UK and between 7-10 million people worldwide. Typified by tremors, slow movements and stiff or inflexible muscles, PD is caused by the lack of dopamine in the brain as nerve cells are lost from an area of the brain...
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Revolutionising medicine one gene at a time

Gene therapy to combat disease has long been talked about but is now becoming a reality. With the advent of CRISPR, a catchy name for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, there is now the promise of editing genes in living cells. In order to think about CRISPR let’s consider Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Muscular...
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Brexit and the pharmaceutical industry

Having lived with Brexit now for two years, and most of the nation is bored yet fascinated (and somewhat fearful), the impact of a no deal or an extended negotiation is a real and present issue. With Brexit in seeming turmoil at this point (late 2018) a robust solution to maintain the availability of medicines...
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Safeguarding the UK as a scientific superpower – what does Brexit mean?

For UK scientific and medical research to thrive, it is imperative that the UK can attract and retain the finest scientific minds, this is an undisputed fact. The ability for the UK to compete on an international stage is dependent on our ability to attract excellent international talent. The Royal Society outlines that 17% of...
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Spanish flu…remembering and considering if such a thing could happen again

Spanish flu a bigger Grim Reaper than the First World War 2018 is the centenary of the most deadly killer in recent memory……. You may be surprised to hear that this statement isn’t referring to the First World War but the pandemic infection known as the Spanish flu. Spanish flu came in three waves in...
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