How a struggling NHS is dealing with winter illnesses 

Welcome to the January/February issue of Pharmafocus!

Jump straight into our first issue of 2024 to read some of the biggest pharma news of the year so far, from Eli Lilly launching a new digital healthcare platform (page 4) and Merck’s Keytruda gaining FDA approval for cervical cancer treatment (page 8), to GSK sharing positive results from its phase 3 trial for Jemperli in endometrial cancer treatment (page 6) and Sanofi’s acquisition of Inhibrx (page 12).

This issue also includes some interesting articles: Abzu looks at the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) and its uses in the pharma industry (page 14), while Inizio considers the benefits and drawbacks of AI, especially in terms of diversity in synthetic patients (page 13). Novartis considers the path to approval for paediatric medicines (page 18) and Chiesi assesses the ways in which climate change can impact our lung health (page 20). Finally, Alexion reflects on the health equity crises faced by patients with rare diseases (page 16).

Additionally, I consider the UK’s ageing population and health disparities and how this impacts the country’s general health trends, as a greater proportion of many people’s lives are spent in poor health (page 22). In a bonus feature this month, I look at how a struggling NHS is dealing with winter illnesses amid ongoing strikes and a winter spike in flu and COVID-19 infections (page 24).

I hope that you’ve had an excellent start to 2024 and that you enjoy the first Pharmafocus issue of the year!

Betsy Goodfellow