As pressure increases on the pharma industry to speed up the drug development and approvals process while maintaining safety, ‘seamless’ clinical trials – where phases are combined – are garnering attention. We find out more about the benefits of this adaptive approach to drug development.

We also round up the biggest differences between drug pricing models and policies around the world, take a closer look at the tragic consequences of the recent explosion of fentanyl abuse and its appropriation by the illegal drug trade, and find out more about a new compound that, when combined with standard antiretrovirals, has been shown to suppress HIV production in infected cells.

Finally, we look into the potential of a new project to develop mRNA cancer vaccines, and speak to University of Surrey scientists about their work on developing nanoparticles which heat up to a temperature high enough to kill cancerous cells, before self-regulating and cooling down.

Katie Woodward, editor