Pharmacology Matters

Managing Editor Chloe Gynne signs off from her post with a reflection on her highlights of working with the BPS Content Board.

Catriona Waitt is a Professor of Clinical Pharmacology and Global Health at the University of Liverpool, and working at the Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. Here, she discusses her research interests, how she has developed her career, and her advice for others.

Hannah Roughley continues her series on animal research with an exploration of replacement as one of the 3Rs. Co-authored with Dr Shoebul Haque, this article examines recent advancements which have made replacement increasingly possible.

We are pleased to share the results of the first Pharmacomedy competition, which ran from December 2024-January 2025. 

The Drug Discovery and Team Science Doctoral Training Programme (DTP) at the University of Nottingham explore how team science enhances the effectiveness of drug discovery (in this case, for pain and addiction studies), and transforms doctoral training through robust financial support and training, fostering diversity, and preparing researchers for collaborative careers.

In the fight against spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), few treatments have reshaped the landscape like Zolgensma (onasemnogene abeparvovec). Priced at a staggering $2.1 million per patient for a one-time dose, it was the world’s most expensive drug at the time of its FDA approval in 2019. Although its innovative mechanism of action offers hope for those diagnosed with SMA, its price tag raises a critical question: how can one justify the cost?

Running a clinical research team is a complex progress, but seeing the team come to life must be an amazing experience. In this edition of Meet The Lab, PM Editor-in-Chief Aisah Aubdool spoke to Professor Catriona Waitt and her team to learn about her research group at the University of Liverpool and Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University, Uganda.

Make us laugh by sharing your best original jokes, memes and videos to be in with a chance to win a £100 cash prize! Make sure you enter before 26 January 2025 - the punnier, the better.

Hannah Roughley begins her new series on animal research with an explanation of the 3Rs, one of the key pillars of this important part of drug research and development. This series will explore the 3Rs in further detail and explore the ethical implications and considerations of animal research.

BPS Content Board Editor Bartosz Pajak explores the groundbreaking work of Alice Augusta Ball, and how her work is being retroactively credited to her, after she was largely unrecognised in her lifetime and in the period after her untimely death. 

Daniel Saffer's article on osteoarthritis treatments is the winner of the 2024 ECP Writing Prize. 

Nanthana Gunathilagan is the runner up for the 2024 ECP Writing Prize. Judges felt her detailed article on bioprospecting put a spotlight on an important topic.

Pharmacology Matters editors Taichi Ochi and Hannah Roughley look at Semaglutide, more widely known as Ozempic, its mechanism of action and recent rise in popularity among celebrities and the wider public.

Editor-in-Chief Prof Steve Tucker and Managing Editor Chloe Gynne outline the upcoming changes to how BPS content is published, and how you can get involved.