Most popular features of 2015 from The Pharmaceutical Journal

Features about new cholesterol-busting drugs, the use of ketamine to treat depression and the regulation of clinical trials in India were the most popular of those published online in 2015

Features about new cholesterol-busting drugs, the use of ketamine to treat depression and the regulation of clinical trials in India were the most popular of those published online in 2015. However, the most read feature during 2015 was one published the previous year on the potential of a new class of drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors to treat cancer.

Top five features published in 2015

  1. PCSK9 inhibitors: the next cholesterol-lowering blockbusters?

    Cardiovascular diseases are the number one killer across the globe, so it is not surprising that this feature, which looks at the potential of a new class of cholesterol-lowering agents called PCSK9 inhibitors, took the number 1 slot.
  2. The secret life of ketamine 
    Antidepressants are among the most widely prescribed drug classes but for around one-third of patients current drugs don’t work. Ketamine has shown great promise in hard-to-treat depression over the short term, and this feature examines current evidence for its use.
  3. Clinical research: Regulatory uncertainty hits drug trials in India 
    An avalanche of reforms to rules governing the conduct of clinical trials in India has led to an exodus of drug companies and research organisations. This feature chronicles the reforms and provides insight on their impact.
  4. 3D printing: the future of manufacturing medicine? 
    It has become possible to print almost anything since the advent of 3D printers, including drugs. This feature describes how 3D printing promises a future of drugs printed on demand, to custom doses, and the possibility that cost may no longer be a barrier to making niche medicines.
  5. Pharmaceuticals in the environment: a growing problem 
    Pharmaceuticals can have devastating effects when they find their way into our rivers and lakes. Scientists are studying the effect of these drugs on ecosystems, and this feature looks at ways of preventing the problem, for example, by the correct disposal of unwanted medicines, improving the treatment of sewage and, ultimately, designing more environmentally friendly drugs.
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The Pharmaceutical Journal, Most popular features of 2015 from The Pharmaceutical Journal;Online:DOI:10.1211/PJ.2016.20200450

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