Ins and outs of environmental risk assessments (ERA) of medicinal products for human use - Volume 31, Issue

An environmental risk assessment (ERA) is the process of evaluating the effects of drugs for human use on the environment. ERAs must accompany all new drug market authorisations in Europe. In this article, we discuss the current guidelines on ERAs…

EUPATI: Patient engagement through education as an important contributor to shared decision making - Volume 30, Issue

Building knowledge and capacity for patients and their advocates about the “systems” of healthcare is empowering for patients. The European Patients’ Academy (EUPATI) was established across Europe in 2012 to provide education and training to…

Editorial - Volume 29, Issue

Data are economic assets that power the so-called fourth industrial revolution. The healthcare industry is at the forefront of this “data economy”. Medical writers should understand how to use these data appropriately and responsibly. This issue of…

Now more than ever, scientists must speak up for science - Volume 28, Issue

In this post-truth era we live in, the validity of facts from climate change and evolution to the shape of the earth and even vaccine safety is challenged by misinformation. As scientists,we should make greater efforts to engage with the public and…

Speaking your patients’ language – Is it really worth it? The impact of translation on multilingual patient education materials - Volume 33, Issue

This article discusses the role of translation and its impact on the success of patient education materials, particularly in the context of patient recruitment and retention for clinical trials. We examine how translation and localisation help…

Biostatistics, data management, and medical writing: A multidisciplinary approach to the development of the CTD integrated summaries - Volume 29, Issue

Analyses of integrated databases of efficacy and safety are a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirement. They are very useful in evaluating the safety and efficacy data gathered in multiple clinical studies. However, their utility is dependent…

Medical Education - Volume 25, Issue

Bad karma - Volume 22, Issue

Bad Pharma provides a hyper-critical account of the pharmaceutical industry's approach to conducting, publishing and using clinical research and development. However, its attack on the drug regulators is unfair and its examination of the medical…

Interview with Professor Matthias Rose on developing patient-reported outcomes and the PROMIS initiative - Volume 27, Issue

Professor Matthias Rose is Medical Director of the Psychosomatic Department at the Charité University Hospital in Berlin, Germany. In this interview, I discuss with him patient-reported outcomes and the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement…

Pleasing the reader by pleasing the eye—Part 2 Page layout and readability - Volume 22, Issue

The purpose of page layout is to consciously arrange text and graphics on a page in a way that supports the reading process and allows the reader to effortlessly follow the flow of information. It should blend words and images into an effective…