More than 240 New Medicines in the Pipeline for Neurologic Disorders
More than 240 New Medicines in the Pipeline for Neurologic Disorders
Washington, D.C., May 15, 2006 - America's pharmaceutical research companies are currently developing 241 medicines to treat neurologic diseases, according to a new report released today by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).
"May is Older Americans Month and a great time to talk about improving the health of elderly Americans," said PhRMA President & CEO Billy Tauzin. "Americans are living longer and confronting a growing number of debilitating neurologic diseases. America's research-based pharmaceutical companies are in the forefront of the search for new treatments and cures to help these patients."
Studies show that older patients are particularly susceptible to many neurologic diseases including Alzheimer's, epilepsy, Parkinson's, and stroke. In addition to the terrible human toll of neurologic disorders, the diseases annually cost the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars in care, lost work-days, and reduced productivity -- Alzheimer's disease alone costs at least $100 billion a year, according to The Alzheimer Association.
The medicines now in development for neurologic disorders include 62 for pain, 34 for brain tumors, 42 for Alzheimer's disease and dementias, 21 for Parkinson's disease, 13 for stroke, 11 for migraine headache, 27 for multiple sclerosis, 13 for epilepsy and 7 for sleep disorders. Promising new medicines in the pipeline include a medicine that uses normal human cells to enhance brain levels of dopamine, the neurotransmitter deficient in Parkinson's patients, and a medicine for brain cancer (glioblastoma) that singles out and latches onto the receptors on the surface of the malignant cells - but not the healthy cells - and destroys them.
"The medicines being developed will help patients suffering from neurologic diseases to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives," added Tauzin. "They represent new hope for a healthier future."
Click here to view the report Neurologic_2006.pdf (147.64 KB)
Source: Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)
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