Accessibility Statement

Pharma Journal is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities. We believe that all users, regardless of ability, should have equal access to pharmaceutical industry news, company directories, and professional resources published on our platform.

We are continually improving the user experience for everyone and applying the relevant accessibility standards to ensure we provide equal access to all users. This commitment extends to our website, email communications, and any digital documents published on our platform.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) define requirements for designers and developers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. It defines three levels of conformance: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA.

While we strive to adhere to the WCAG 2.1 Level AA standard, there may be some areas that are not yet fully accessible. We are committed to addressing these gaps and welcome feedback from our users to help us improve.

Pharma Journal takes the following measures to ensure accessibility of our platform:

• Staff training — our editorial and development teams receive regular training on accessibility best practices, including content creation, image descriptions, and assistive technology compatibility.
• Automated testing — we use automated accessibility testing tools (including axe-core and Lighthouse) as part of our development workflow to detect and resolve common accessibility issues before deployment.
• Manual review — we conduct periodic manual accessibility audits using screen readers (NVDA, VoiceOver) and keyboard-only navigation to identify issues that automated tools cannot detect.
• User feedback integration — we actively incorporate accessibility feedback from our users into our development roadmap and prioritise fixes based on impact.
• Accessibility statement review — this statement is reviewed and updated at least annually, or whenever significant changes are made to the platform.

The accessibility of Pharma Journal relies on the following technologies to work with the particular combination of web browser and any assistive technologies or plugins installed on your device:

• HTML5 — semantic markup for clear document structure, headings hierarchy, and landmark regions.
• WAI-ARIA — Accessible Rich Internet Applications attributes for dynamic content, interactive components, and live regions.
• CSS — responsive design that adapts to user preferences including reduced motion, high contrast, and text scaling up to 200%.
• JavaScript — progressive enhancement ensures core content and functionality are available without JavaScript where possible.

These technologies are relied upon for conformance with the accessibility standards used. The platform is designed to be compatible with current versions of major browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) and screen readers (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver, TalkBack).

Despite our best efforts to ensure accessibility, there may be some limitations. The following known issues are being addressed:

• Third-party content — some embedded content from third-party providers (e.g., video players, social media widgets) may not fully meet accessibility standards. We work with these providers to improve accessibility where possible.
• Older PDF documents — some historical PDF publications may not be fully accessible. We are working to remediate these documents and ensure all new PDFs meet accessibility standards.
• Interactive data visualisations — complex charts and graphs may have limited screen reader support. We provide alternative text descriptions and data tables where possible.
• User-submitted content — directory listings and sponsored content submitted by third parties may not always meet our accessibility standards. We provide guidelines to submitters and review content for basic accessibility compliance.

We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of Pharma Journal. If you encounter any accessibility barriers, have difficulty accessing any content, or would like to suggest improvements, please contact us:

• Email: info@pharma-journal.com
• Website: pharma-journal.com/contact

We aim to respond to accessibility feedback within 5 working days and to resolve reported accessibility issues within 20 working days. If you require content in an alternative format (e.g., large print, audio, Braille), please contact us and we will do our best to accommodate your request.

The Equality Act 2010 protects individuals from discrimination, including in relation to accessing goods, services, and facilities. If you are not satisfied with our response to your accessibility concern, you may escalate the matter through the following channels:

• Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) — the EHRC is responsible for enforcing the Equality Act 2010 in England, Scotland, and Wales. You can contact the EHRC via their website or helpline.
• Equality Advisory Support Service (EASS) — EASS provides advice and information on equality and human rights issues. You can contact EASS through their website or by email.
• Government Digital Service (GDS) — the GDS publishes guidance on meeting public sector accessibility requirements and can be contacted through GOV.UK.