Pandemic Preparedness and Global Health Resilience: The Role of Pharmaceutical Science from COVID-19 to Disease X

The COVID-19 pandemic has left an indelible mark on global health, with over 777 million confirmed cases and more than 7 million deaths reported worldwide. While the acute crisis phase has passed, the continued circulation of SARS-CoV-2 variants and the threat of future pandemics underscore the urgent need for robust, coordinated, and science-driven preparedness strategies.

Pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences have played a central role in the global response, from accelerating vaccine and therapeutic development to ensuring equitable distribution and addressing challenges in supply chain logistics, regulatory frameworks, and public trust. However, the pandemic also exposed significant gaps: in readiness for rapid drug development, access to essential medicines, real-time data sharing, and the integration of pharmaceutical care into public health infrastructure.

Emerging infectious diseases, including SARS, MERS, Ebola, Nipah, and Lassa fever, highlight the ongoing risk of global outbreaks. The World Health Organization’s concept of “Disease X,” a hypothetical yet potentially devastating pathogen, calls for sustained innovation and cross-sector collaboration. A future-ready pharmaceutical ecosystem must be agile, evidence-based, and globally integrated.

This Special Issue of the Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences invites high-quality original research, reviews, and policy analyses that address pharmaceutical and pharmacy-led approaches to pandemic prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. We aim to showcase evidence-based approaches that bridge knowledge gaps, promote health system resilience, and inform future policy and practice.

Key themes include, but are not limited to:
• Pharmaceutical innovations for pandemic prevention and control
• Rapid development and deployment of vaccines, antivirals, and immunotherapies
• Drug repurposing, formulation science, and regulatory acceleration pathways
• Point-of-care diagnostics and pharmaceutical involvement in screening and surveillance
• Role of pharmacists in community resilience, health education, and therapeutic optimization
• Artificial intelligence and big data in pharmaceutical research and public health decision-making
• Global supply chains, manufacturing resilience, and equitable access to essential medicines
• Integration of One Health and Total Health principles in pharmaceutical R&D
• Non-pharmacological strategies supporting holistic patient care and prevention

This Special Issue seeks to advance the pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences community's contributions to a more resilient, responsive, and equitable global health system. We welcome contributions from academic researchers, clinical pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, policy experts, and industry collaborators.

Article types and fees

This Special Issue accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Special Issue description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Special Issue accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Special Issue description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Pandemic Preparedness, Pharmaceutical Innovation, Global Health Resilience, Vaccine and Therapeutic Development, Disease X, Pharmacy-Led Public Health, Drug Repurposing and Formulation Science, Health System Strengthening, Pharmaceutical Supply Chain, One Health and Pharmaceutical R&D