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.
BusinessPharmaceuticals 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
- Business
Cleaning up clinical trials
Campaigns to enforce complete and correct reporting of trial data are beginning to take hold
- Business
Europe opens gates to CAR-T
First two modified T-Cell cancer therapies approved in the EU, but prices may be prohibitive for public health systems
- Business
Gene therapy gathers pace
Sarah Houlton charts the evolution, challenges and opportunities of cell and gene therapy
- Business
Rural power champion
Clementine Chambon is the 2018 Chemistry World Entrepreneur of the Year for her work using bioenergy to solve environmental, social and gender challenges in rural India
