Drugs in Space

Pharmaceuticals (used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease) suffer from lack of stability on Earth and even more so in space. Over the next few decades, there are plans for human space missions to the Moon and, even further, to Mars. What could be done to limit the degradation of pharmaceuticals (due to time/radiation/altered gravity) during deep space travel to keep the astronaut crew healthy and safe? What about manufacturing drugs in space? How can this knowledge help us to fight diseases here on Earth? And, of course.. What is it like to be a space pharmacist? We have invited Dr. Marlise Araujo dos Santos (a Brazilian space pharmacology expert) and Paul Kamoun to inform us on the challenges and opportunities within the space environment.