Welcome to the March issue of Pharmafocus!

As we finally approach the warmer spring months, it’s a good time to consider themes of growth and renewal. This theme is also evident within the pharma industry, with countless new developments in the pipeline.

This issue covers the latest news, from Roche sharing results from its phase 3 trial for allergy treatment Xolair, which increases the amount of an allergen that can be consumed before an allergy sufferer has a reaction (page 6) and the European Commission’s approval of Pfizer’s Velsipity, an ulcerative colitis treatment (page 8), to AbbVie and Tentarix’s oncology and immunology collaboration (page 10) and Novartis’ acquisition of MorphoSys for a huge $2.7bn (page 12).

In addition, Ellipses Pharma tells Pharmafocus about next generation SRIs and why the clinical trial landscape should be improved (page 14), Phesi considers patient enrolment and retention in oncology clinical trials (page 16) and Gilead Sciences assesses the current standard of care for blood cancer patients and how this could develop going forward (page 18). Also in this issue, Charac weighs up the pros and cons of the new NHS’ Pharmacy First scheme (page 20), and Cognitant Group tells us how patient support programmes should be streamlined using a simple five-step approach (page 22).

Finally, I investigate the rise in measles cases in the UK, specifically looking at the link between falling vaccination rates and increasing infections, as well as the importance of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccination to protect individuals and prevent further outbreaks of the disease (page 24).

I hope you enjoy this issue and we’ll be back soon with Pharmafocus April!