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Pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceuticals And C&EN

by Rudy Baum
September 25, 2006 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 84, Issue 39

This week's issue is C&EN's annual pharmaceutical issue, timed to coincide with the CPhI pharmaceutical ingredients exposition being held in early October in Paris. Four C&EN editors will attend CPhI to stay abreast of this dynamic segment of the chemical enterprise. A report on the exposition will appear in the Oct. 23 issue of C&EN.

C&EN, of course, focuses on biomedical research and pharmaceutical developments—from fundamental research on new drugs to the health of the pharmaceutical and biotech industries—throughout the year. There are many reasons for this attention. The interface of chemistry and biology is one of the most vibrant areas of science, and research on new drugs to treat human disease is one of the most active and exciting areas of chemistry. The pharmaceutical and biotech industries are among the few industries where new jobs are being created for chemists.

Another important reason is that, as you can tell by the heft of this issue, C&EN's largest source of advertising revenue is the fine and custom chemical manufacturers who produce the molecules that go into drugs. Advertising revenues—display and classified—are critical to our ability to bring you this magazine each week. The allotment that C&EN receives from member dues, $34.99 this year, covers only the printing, paper, and distribution components of the costs of producing C&EN, about one-third of the magazine's expense budget. The remainder of that budget is covered by advertising revenue.

To facilitate advertising sales, we produce an editorial calendar each year that outlines in very general terms some of featured stories that will appear throughout the year. We keep the calendar general???this issue is listed simply as "Pharmaceuticals"???so that the topics we actually write about are timely. That's certainly the case with this week's cover story on drugs to fight addictions, by Senior Correspondent Ann Thayer (see page 21).

Like all serious journalistic enterprises, C&EN has a rigorous wall between editorial and advertising activities. C&EN's policy and ethics manual has a section on "Separation of Editorial and Advertising," which states: "The credibility of the editorial content of a magazine hinges on a clear and recognizable division between editorial and advertising in the published product." Among the mandates that follow are "Advertising staff must not have access to copy prior to publication," and "Writers and editors should not supply advertising staff with details on which companies will be covered in an upcoming story." C&EN never provides editorial coverage in exchange for advertising. Of course, we cover the activities of companies that advertise in C&EN, but we cover them because they have done something newsworthy.

In addition to Thayer's fascinating and comprehensive feature on efforts to develop pharmacotherapies to treat smoking and drug and alcohol abuse, this issue contains three Business Department stories that focus on various aspects of pharmaceutical R&D and business. Associate Editor Lisa M. Jarvis' "Arming Antibodies" (see page 51) examines the complex chemistry and pharmacology of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) to treat cancer. Since the advent of monoclonal antibodies 30 years ago, researchers have dreamed of linking a highly toxic small drug molecule to an antibody highly specific for a particular tumor cell. It's been a tough road. Jarvis explores how several companies have developed promising ADCs for a number of tumor types.

Senior Editor Rick Mullin previews the CPhI exposition (see page 62). His story, "Indian Firms Go Global," looks at the strategies of several Indian companies in buying the high-cost fine and custom chemical assets of Western companies that are exiting the business. Finally, on page 66, Hong Kong Bureau Head Jean-François Tremblay provides a look into how the U.S. Food & Drug Administration inspects Indian and Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities for compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practices.

Pharmaceuticals are an essential component of the chemical enterprise and of modern health care. C&EN is committed to keeping its readers well-informed of developments in this area.

Thanks for reading.

Views expressed on this page are those of the author and not necessarily those of ACS.

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