Message from the President - Volume 21, Issue

Dear MEW reader Welcome to the first 2012 Medical Writing or MEW issue – another EMWA milestone to start off this stellar year. I hope you enjoy the new design and the thematic focus on oncology. The theme of EMWA's upcoming 34th Spring conference…

Presenting secondary endpoints in plain language clinical trial result summaries: Considerations for emerging practice - Volume 30, Issue

Background: The European Union Clinical Trials Regulation 536/2014 (EU CTR) requires sponsors to submit summaries of clinical trial results in plain/lay language (Plain Language Trial Summaries [PLTS]). A multidisciplinary working group developed…

President's Message - Volume 24, Issue

Welcome to the first issue of medical writing in 2015 on plain language, which means that this message had better be simple and easy to read. I am a huge advocate of plain writing and, as a Publication Manager, spend much of my time working with…

Risk Management - Volume 24, Issue

The thalidomide tragedy of the early 1960s cost several thousand lives, but it ultimately led to changes that will undoubtedly save many thousands more: it triggered a chain of events involving the WHO and the ICH that resulted in the…

An introduction to medical affairs for medical writers - Volume 28, Issue

The role of medical affairs in pharmaceutical and medical device companies is gaining prominence. Medical writers will increasingly find themselves supporting medical affairs activities or, indeed, transitioning to jobs within medical affairs…

Participant information – an ethics committee view - Volume 29, Issue

The participant information sheet (PIS) is one of the documents that promote most discussion and concern for research ethics committees (REC). This article looks at ways to ensure the PIS meets their requirements based on the specific experience of…

French breast implants, the Medical Device Regulation, and a theoretical case study - Volume 26, Issue

Abstract The 2010-2011 Poly Implant Prothèse scandal triggered a review of the Medical Device Directive. This resulted in a new Medical Device Regulation that was approved this year. It contains many changes, and many questions will arise when…

Out On Our Own - Volume 24, Issue

Editorial

All of us are aware by now that we can't live without technology and not only at work. With advice, aids, appliances and apps in abundance, we are at the point where we can't see the wood for the trees. Thank goodness we have advice from M…

Providing value for medicines in older people - Volume 22, Issue

The global population is ageing, but inequalities remain in older people's access to treatment, especially people 75 years of age and older. These people receive less frequent interventions and lower quality medical treatment than their younger…

Statistics for medical writers - Volume 25, Issue

Until recently, statistics was a subject that I avoided at all costs. I found it difficult to understand and boring, and for years I swore that I would never learn about or be interested in statistics. (By the way, I also swore that I would never…