Published on November 13, 2009 at 3:12 AM
Women's Health Weekly recently reported that America's pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies are working on nearly 1,000 life-changing medicines for diseases affecting women, according to a new report released by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). The medicines are awaiting approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or are in human clinical trials.
In the U.S., diseases that disproportionately affect women include diabetes, which has reached epidemic proportions and affects 11 million women nationwide. Autoimmune diseases strike women three times more and anxiety and depression two times more women than men. The number one killer of American women is heart disease.
The report lists 969 new medicines in development. They include 112 new treatments for breast cancer, 86 new treatments for obstetric/gynecologic conditions, 76 for asthma, 114 for autoimmune diseases, 155 for diabetes, 131 for arthritis, and 80 for Alzheimer's disease.
"America's pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies continue making exciting progress in the search for new cures and treatments for diseases of special concern to women," said PhRMA Senior Vice President Ken Johnson in his remarks at the press briefing at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island, New York. "We live in an era of medical discovery in which we understand more and more about the unique biological and behavioral differences between men and women and their respective health care needs. This knowledge is inspiring a continuing medical revolution that is bringing new hope to women around the world in the form of promising new treatments and cures."
New York Biotechnology Association Executive Director Nathan Tinker noted that incredible progress is being made by America's biotechnology and pharmaceutical research companies in developing new and more effective treatments for the wide range of diseases that affect women. "Cooperation between the country's educational facilities, research hospitals, laboratories, and innovative biopharmaceutical companies has proven critical to this success," said Tinker.
SOURCE Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America