Drug Companies Are Testing More Than 800 New Medicines To
Better Treat Older Americans, SAYS PhRMA;
June 28, 2002
Washington, D.C. – As momentum for enacting a Medicare
prescription drug benefit grows in Congress, a new survey
released today by the Pharmaceutical Research and
Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) shows what the promise of
drug research holds for older Americans in the
future.
The PhRMA survey, “New Medicines in Development for Older
Americans,” reveals pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies
have more than 800 medicines in the pipeline to better treat
diseases of a graying population such as Alzheimer’s,
arthritis, Parkinson’s and osteoporosis as well as the leading
killers of seniors – heart disease, cancer and stroke.
“With an elderly population that is growing daily, millions
of people will be counting on the fruits of the pharmaceutical
industry’s research into diseases of aging,” said PhRMA
President Alan F. Holmer. “Our survey makes a compelling
case for the need for a prescription drug benefit under
Medicare. We want seniors and the disabled – now and in
the future – to have access to these remarkable drugs that
will push the limit on what we consider ‘old age.’”
PhRMA’s survey reveals that 135 companies are developing
294 medicines targeted at diseases that disproportionately
affect seniors, along with 402 medicines in the pipeline for
cancer and 122 in testing for heart disease and stroke. The
new medicines in development for older Americans include:
-
17 medicines for Alzheimer’s disease, which costs the
United States at least $100 billion a year. Unless a
cure or preventive treatment is found, the number of people
with Alzheimer’s will more than triple by the middle of this
century.
-
14 medicines for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD), the fourth leading killer of Americans and a major
cause of hospitalization among the elderly.
-
19 medicines for depression, which affects an estimated
6 percent of Americans 65 and older.
-
30 medicines for diabetes, which affects 1 in every 5
Americans 65 and older.
-
20 medicines for osteoporosis, which is expected to
affect more than 61 million Americans by 2020 if current
trends continue.
-
14 for Parkinson’s disease, of which 60,000 new cases
are diagnosed each year.
Other medicines in the pipeline target bladder and kidney
disorders, critical limb ischemia, eye disorders,
gastrointestinal disorders, osteoarthritis, pain, prostate
disease, rheumatoid arthritis, sexual dysfunction, skin
conditions, sleep disorder and other diseases.
These promising new treatments will help meet the needs of
a graying population. In 2011, baby boomers – those born
between 1946 and 1964 – will begin turning 65. Between
2011 and 2030, the U.S. Census Bureau projects that the number
of elderly will rise from 40 million to 70 million
representing 20 percent of the population. And by 2100,
the over-100 population is expected to number 5.3 million.
Since older people tend to have more health problems than
the younger population, an increase in the number of older
citizens could strain health care resources. But there
are encouraging signs that continued pharmaceutical research
may be able to reduce both the human and economic costs of
diseases of aging. For example, chronic disability among
the elderly is declining, and fewer Americans are entering
nursing homes. According to a study by Duke University
researchers, disability among the elderly has dropped 2.6
percent a year since 1994, and the number of nursing home
residents declined by 200,000 in the past decade. The
Alliance for Aging Research estimates that, if we can delay
the average onset of Alzheimer’s disease – to take just one
example – for five years, we could save the nation’s health
care system $50 billion.
PhRMA represents the country’s leading research-based
pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, which are devoted
to inventing medicines that allow patients to live longer,
healthier, and more productive lives. The industry
invested more than $30 billion in 2001 in discovering and
developing new medicines. PhRMA companies are leading
the way in the search for new cures.
For more information:
Click
here to view the backgrounder
Click
here to view the entire survey (.pdf)
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