When The Pharmaceutical Journal relaunched in July 2014, we introduced a features section, which is home to longer articles that explore topics in more depth. Some features are narrative in style while others are more factual, but all aim to offer a balanced view by going to the key players of the subject under scrutiny. Some features take the form of infographics, which use visual representations of data to tell a story. In the first six months, these infographics have proved popular, making up the top three most viewed features online.
An infographic illustrating a breakdown of the over-the-counter (OTC) medicines market in the UK received the highest number of hits. This feature shows the relative popularity of each OTC category and whether sales have increased or decreased compared with the previous year. It also highlights the bestselling brands in the categories that saw the largest growth, and the largest fall, in sales.
A visual guide to the Ebola virus epidemic was also popular. This infographic conveys the severity of the outbreak and highlights the toll the disease has taken on healthcare workers as well as the poorly developed health systems that have allowed the virus to take hold. It also illustrates the lifecycle of the virus, its pathogenesis, and the targets of the drugs and vaccines being developed to fight it.
A look at the global pharmacy workforce made up the final infographic in the top five. This feature uses a world map to indicate the number of pharmacists per population and compares this with the global burden of disease. Additional data show a breakdown of the workforce by gender, sector and percentage of support workers, as well as which countries are producing the highest number of pharmacy graduates.
Two long-form pieces were also favoured by online readers. Janna Lawrence looked at psilocybin, the compound that makes mushrooms magic, describing how it is showing promise as a treatment for several psychiatric illnesses. And Elizabeth Sukkar marked the tenth anniversary of the controversial withdrawal of Vioxx by examining the legacy of this once blockbuster drug.
The five most viewed features in 2014 were:
2. A visual guide to the Ebola virus epidemic
3. Taking stock of pharmacy: a breakdown of global workforce data
4. Psychedelics: entering a new age of addiction therapy
5. Still feeling the Vioxx pain
Your feedback on the features section is welcome, so please get in touch if you have any comments or ideas. My email address is dawn.connelly@pharmaceutical-journal.com.
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