Sarah Houlton
Dr Sarah Houlton has a PhD in organic synthesis from Imperial College, and has been a science journalist specialising in chemistry-related topics since the early 1990s. Starting at the Journal of the Society of Dyers & Colourists, she then moved to the pharmaceutical industry magazine Manufacturing Chemist, ultimately becoming its editor. She has been freelance since 2001, and covers both science and business, with a particular interest in the pharma & biotech sector and the polyurethane industry, and the occasional foray into topics such as food ingredients and process engineering. She is based in Hertfordshire, UK.
BusinessNon-animal test for skin sensitisation gets OECD approval
Combination strategy developed by BASF and Givaudan is the first complete replacement for animal testing
- Business
Searching for more sustainable resin materials
Paul Jones of Bitrez is the 2021 Chemistry World Entrepreneur of the Year
- Sponsored
Sustainable safety testing
Unilever has been researching and applying alternatives to animal testing, and working with industry, academia, government scientists and NGOs to usher in a new era of sustainable safety testing that isn’t reliant on animal models.
- Sponsored
A biodegradable future
By investing in research, working with its partners across its supply chain, and considering the entire product lifecycle, Unilever is making a biodegradable future obtainable
- Business
Pharmaceuticals roundup 2020
Alongside the race for Covid-19 treatments and vaccines, the industry has maintained momentum
- Business
AstraZeneca to buy rare disease drugmaker Alexion in $39bn deal
Transaction would be the largest in AstraZeneca’s history
- Research
How to solve a ‘nasty’ compound’s structure with a million-Euro synchrotron
Chemists overcomes challenges of handling explosive and toxic nitrogen to investigate its structure using Germany’s most expensive x-ray source
- Business
Covid-19 highlights need to update pharma supply chains
Resilience and redundancy are key amid protectionist calls for domestic manufacturing
- Business
This little Crispr went to market
Gene editing technology heading towards commercial reality in pharmaceuticals, food and organ transplant
- Business
Cancer and rare diseases dominated 2019 drug approvals
More streamlined review processes and changing R&D priorities have contributed to sustained increase in new medicines
- Business
Pharmaceuticals roundup 2019
Under the shadow of political turmoil and major lawsuits, the industry returned to its strengths – making new drugs, and finding new ways to do it better
- Business
Sixth in a line of Alzheimer’s drugs fails in trials
Treatments designed to stop amyloid peptide formation all seem to cause cognitive impairment rather than prevent it
- Business
Landmark ruling in Oklahoma opioid lawsuit
J&J judged responsible for ‘public nuisance’ in first case to go to trial
- Business
Enhancing solvents' sustainability
Increased recycling and replacing toxic solvents with greener alternatives will reduce environmental impact
- Business
Curbing industry’s carbon emissions
Replacing fossil-fuelled furnaces with renewable electrical heating and cutting carbon from some heavy industries could make a serious dent in climate targets
- Business
AbbVie to acquire Allergan in multibillion-dollar merger
Takeover deal will create world’s fifth-largest pharma company
- Business
Emerging from the US opioid crisis
With litigation against suppliers in full swing, how does the US counter its addiction to powerful painkillers?
- Business
UK government sets out antimicrobial resistance plan
Aims to cut antibiotic use and explore financial incentives for pharmaceutical companies
- Business
Pharmaceuticals roundup 2018
Merger deals, product approvals and infrastructure changes have been overshadowed by political uncertainty, in Europe and around the world
- Business
Cancer immunotherapy spreads rapidly
New approvals and expanded use for checkpoint inhibitor drugs illustrate the power of Nobel-winning science
