Welcome to the September issue of Pharmafocus!

In this issue, we cover some of the latest and most interesting news in the pharmasphere, such as Novo Holdings and their investment into Oxford Nanopore (page 4) or clinical trials for personalised cancer vaccines which will be used to treat aggressive brain tumours in adolescents and paediatric patients (page 6). There are also some of the latest stories on research and development, such as a 501k clearance from the FDA for an orthopaedics spinal robotics platform (page 10), in addition to some good news for patients of moderate to severe ulcerative colitis as NICE recommends another treatment option (page 8).

Also in this issue, the combined power of multidisciplinary teams are discussed within precision medicine to provide the best quality of care for bladder cancer patients (page 14). As September is also primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) awareness month, researchers elaborate on understanding the challenges and unmet needs of the rare disease (page 20). Penultimately, oral peptides are brought under the spotlight; attractive and efficient candidates, how are the delivery methods impacting distribution (page 22). Finally, we conclude with some interesting facts about PBC (page 26).

We also have a preview into the upcoming CPHI event (page 16), happening 8-10 October in Milan. Hope to see you there, with the October edition of Pharmafocus!

In the meantime, enjoy some light September reading with this edition of Pharmafocus.

Natalia Elliot