Pharmaceutical Executive: October 2026

View the Pharmaceutical Executive October 2026 issue in an interactive format.

As analysis in our October issue explores, we’ve moved beyond fascination with the technology itself and toward tougher questions about purpose, judgment, trust and measurable impact.

Astellas CEO Naoki Okamura is putting a “patient axis” operating model, a broader portfolio of strategic brands and a new generation of science to work in the company’s bid to return to record growth.

As established gains in personalized and targeted therapy have enabled increasingly precise approaches to disease, novel technologies are expanding what is possible while creating new challenges for drug developers.

Improved financing conditions and accelerating M&A are creating new opportunities, but policy uncertainty, patent expirations and persistent funding pressures continue to shape the outlook for pharma and biotech.

Exploring the emergence of agentic ecosystems in transforming data accessibility and ensuring reliable answers reach the people making decisions while there is still a choice to make.

A passing FDA inspection tells pharma senior leadership very little about whether the next significant revenue vulnerability is already taking shape. But continuous, AI-enabled quality management maturity (QMM) has the potential to do so months before the issue reaches the realm of P&L.

How the proposed lateral network can change the traditional mindset around communications and pharma’s role in today’s new flow of health information.

Why purpose is becoming the most important infrastructure in AI-driven health care technology.

As Japan prices take on greater global significance, disciplined launch strategy can help pharma companies capture the full value of innovation.

Social listening can help medical affairs and medical information teams identify knowledge gaps, strengthen scientific exchange and respond to changing stakeholder needs faster and at greater scale.

The future of engagement won’t be defined by how much information reaches health care professionals, but by how precisely it supports the decision at hand.