Significant progress has been made to roll out vaccination programmes worldwide since the first preventive HPV vaccine was approved little over a decade ago. With the UK Government set to extend HPV vaccination to boys from 2019, we track the key developments in HPV prevention.

Also, we explore whether a hereditary form of Alzheimer’s disease could hold the key to developing an effective treatment, examine if a unique ‘brain map’  could predict a drug’s effectiveness, and find out how combination therapy could help pharma companies developing LPL enhancing drugs to design more successful trials.

Plus, following the shock decision by Express Scripts to drop several ‘untouchable’ drugs, including treatments for haemophilia, hepatitis C and HIV, we explore the formulas used by mega pharmacies to determine which drugs to sell. And finally, we ask whether a lack of female participants is affecting heart disease trial results.

Eloise McLennan, editor