In this issue

For the past century antibiotics, such as penicillin, have served as a pillar of the healthcare system. However, the more they have been used to treat illness and infection, the more infectious diseases have adapted to resist antibiotics – creating a phenomenon that the World Health Organization among the top ten global public health threats facing humanity.

So, what can be done to prepare us for the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance? In this issue of Pharma Technology Focus we get to grips with some of the most significant research projects that are trialling potential alternatives to traditional antibiotics.

Plus, we highlight the best and brightest players in regenerative medicine – from next-generation cell therapies and stem cell treatments to bioengineered human tissues – to find out if these innovative treatments are ready to enter the pharma mainstream.

Elsewhere, we explore the ethical challenges surrounding human challenge studies in the UK and ask whether the success of such studies during the Covid-19 pandemic could support further use of this novel trial approach in the future, and examine the benefits and challenges of digitalising drug dispensing.

All this and more in this latest issue of Pharma Technology Focus.

Eloise Mclennan, editor