Pfizer is closing its neuroscience unit, effectively ending its research into Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and intends to reallocate funding to areas where it thinks it can make a bigger impact. We reflect on the difficulties involved in improving treatment options for those suffering from degenerative neurological conditions.

We also take a look at the world’s pharma manufacturing hotspots, consider the obstacles on the road to developing a universal flu vaccine, and speak to researchers at Cardiff University who have developed a tool to systematically test the likelihood that a drug will undergo ‘racemisation’, i.e. turning into an inert or even dangerous version of itself once it enters the human body.

Finally, we explore the use of growth drugs in both unmet clinical needs and as a solution to cosmetic issues, and find out more about a new method of screening a person’s diverse set of antibodies, which could unlock the potential for rapid therapeutic discoveries.

Katie Woodward, editor