Regulatory writing basics - Volume 23, Issue

The role of a regulatory writer is to produce regulatory documents (usually taken to refer to documents that are submitted in some form to the health authorities). These documents should adhere to the relevant guidance and be fit for purpose, meani…

Letter from the Editor - Volume 25, Issue

A step – no a leap – forward In 2012, the journal’s precursor, The Write Stuff, became Medical Writing under the guidance of then Editor-in-Chief Elise Langdon-Neuner. The Write Stuff had been managed almost single-handedly by Elise, and the shift…

Plain language and readability - Volume 24, Issue

Plain language is writing in clear, concise language that is easy to read and understand. Whenever I hear the term plain language I am reminded of a lay summary I was once asked to edit. The stream of technical language (‘self-source bias’, ‘effect m…

Post-approval regulatory writing - Volume 23, Issue

Message from the President - Volume 21, Issue

Dear Medical Writers Top of Form Bottom of Form I expect I am not the only one who at this time of year looks at their calendar in disbelief and asks how on earth another 12 months can have disappeared so quickly? The end of the year is always an…

Message from the President - Volume 21, Issue

Dear Medical Writers Top of Form Bottom of Form The last time I wrote to you I briefly introduced myself and outlined some of the plans that I hope to realise during my year as president. However, as president I am only one of the members of the…

Good pharma - Volume 22, Issue

Drugs companies publish only a fraction of their results and keep much of the information to themselves. Drug companies are ‘debasing’ drug trials whose publication in journals can apparently confer scientific approval. Merck had fought for years to …

EU software regulations: The new normal or innovation stagnation? - Volume 29, Issue

Advances in software and its application in a medical device and as a medical device have opened the door for many new technological capabilities in healthcare. Around the globe, government agencies have begun to take a heightened interest in how…

Using social media as the patient's voice in the benefit-risk assessment of drugs: Are we ready? - Volume 24, Issue

There is no doubt that the public interest in healthcare-related issues is growing. This, coupled with the surge in the use of social media, leaves the pharmaceutical industry with a set of unique opportunities and challenges. The screening and…

Social Media: A tool that can benefit public health? - Volume 29, Issue

The global use of social media has changed access to health information, and the internet has become its primary source for the general public. However, judging health information on social networks remains difficult for nonmedical readers since…