Generally speaking, the more specific a drug is for its target, the fewer unwanted side-effects there are. The huge potential of monoclonal antibody therapy, pharmacologist Roger McFadden argues, may provide the magic bullet that will enable us to tackle currently intractable diseases because of its highly targeted potency.

Roger McFadden, author of Introducing Pharmacology: For nursing and healthcare, is a Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology in the Faculty of Health at Birmingham City University.