Together with the Angewandte Chemie, the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (J. Pharm. Sci.) celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

The lineage of J. Pharm. Sci. can be traced back to 1852 when the American Pharmaceutical Association (APhA) was founded. It went through several incarnations until 1940 when the Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association, as it was then, was split into the Scientific Edition and the Practical Pharmacy Edition. In January 1961 the Editor, Edward G. Feldmann,Vice President of the American Pharmaceutical Association for Scientific Affairs, informed the pharmaceutical sciences community that the Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association, Scientific Edition would be given a new title, Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of this decision, the journal is revisiting past articles. Throughout 2011, five special virtual issues will be published with the 10 most highly cited papers published in the decades of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.

These issues include papers such as Mechanism of sustained-action medication by Takeru Higuchi, University of Wisconsin, USA, pioneer in the field of pharmaceutics. At the time, drug delivery technologies, such as controlled-release formulations, were in their infancy and articles such as this helped pharmacetics develop into a dynamic research field. The paper remains the most cited article from J. Pharm. Sci.

The issues will be available for a limited time with free access, beginning with the 1960s articles.

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► Read the special virtual issues >>>

► More about the history of J. Pharm. Sci. 

• Editorial
  Ronald T. Borchardt, Editor-in-Chief of J. Pharm. Sci.
  J. Pharm. Sci. 2011, 100(1), 1.
  DOI: 10.1002/jps.22363
• A Brief History of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences’ First 50 Years
  Thomas E. Menighan, Chief Executive Officer of the American Pharmacists Association.
  J. Pharm. Sci. 2011, 100(1), 6–10.
  DOI: 10.1002/jps.22399