In the first semester, the S-DISCO students had the pleasure to follow several guest lectures during the courses.

In the course ‘Pharmaceuticals in the Environment’, prof. Adrian Covaci (University of Antwerp) talked about the wastewater-based epidemiology of psychoactive compounds, thereby combining multiple disciplines for this study.

For the course ‘Sustainable Landscape of Pharmaceutical Discovery’, 3 experts in the field of socio-economic equality were invited to guide our students in this interesting topic. Dr. Ellen ‘t Hoen (Medicines Law & Policy) introduced the students to medical innovation, intellectual property and the international policy discussions, after which Mrs. Charlotte Weyne (Pharma.be) debated about intellectual property rights from the viewpoint of the innovative pharmaceutical industry. Finally, Dr. Sabine Vogler (WHO Collaborating Centre for Pharmaceutical Pricing and Reimbursement Policies) discussed the pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement policies worldwide.

We would like to thank all speakers for their interesting contribution to the S-DISCO programme.