Welcome to the October edition of Global Health & Pharma, which includes the latest news, alongside a variety of exciting features, including a special guest article from the world’s first children’s hospice on why having access to palliative care is something that every person deserves.

Helen & Douglas House’s CEO Clare Periton goes on to say that advances in technology and medication have enabled drugs to be much subtler now. This progression is invaluable in the sector she believes, and is especially helpful when caring for children and young adults, as they do at Helen & Douglas House.

In addition to a major focus on health & social care, we also feature an insightful section covering innovation and technology. One contributor, Joost Bakker of Scicomvisuals, says that the biotechnology sector provides a truly dynamic environment in which goal-oriented science and bright ideas can flourish. Alongside this, he says that it takes remarkable acumen and drive to excel in this field, which is crucial to develop solutions that really help to deal with the challenges of today.

In research and development news, the Medical Research Council reveals that scientists have been able to shed more light on how the Zika virus works, by sequencing the full-length genome of the virus from a patient in Brazil and studying how a molecule derived from the genome fights the host antiviral response.

I hope that you enjoy reading this absorbing edition.

Jonathan Miles, Editor