In February, Johnson & Johnson’s depression drug esketamine received overwhelming support from an FDA advisory committee, throwing a spotlight on the potential of ketamine in pharma. The drug has been billed as the most exciting antidepressant in decades, but what does esketamine offer, and why is the FDA so sure its benefits outweigh the risks?

Also, we take a look back at the European Medical Association‘s time in the UK as the agency heads to its new home in the Netherlands, examine the state of medical cannabis in the UK, and find out how pharma and biotech industries could benefit from an open-science approach to drug development.

Plus, we explore the potential of an experimental drug developed by researchers in Toronto, which has sparked hopes that a memory loss treatment may be on the horizon, and speak to the team behind RUNLABS, a start-up dedicated to providing laboratory space and accelerator services to new biotech firms.

Eloise McLennan, editor