We look into the safety issues associated with Valsartanand the knock-on effects for patients and the industry after much of the supply of the API was recalled. And, after the spectacular failure of IBM’s Watson Health, we find out what the future holds for artificial intelligence in healthcare.

Also, we take a look back at the history of one of pharma’s most influential tools – the Petri dish – to find out how this simple piece of equipment has helped to shape drug discovery for more than a century, and examine the causal connection between Herpes Simplex Virus 1 in people carrying a specific gene and the possibility of developing Alzheimer’s disease to find out whether this link could help researchers finally crack the mystery of Alzheimer’s?

Plus, we speak to the team behind antiSMASH, an online tool being used by scientists in the hunt for bacterial metabolites, explore ways that pharma companies are fighting respiratory issues caused by fine dust and pollution, and round up key trends for 2019, from global studies to digital therapeutics.

Eloise McLennan, editor