FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 20, 2000
Contact: Meredith Art (202) 835-3469 [email protected]
SURVEY FINDS 103 MEDICINES IN DEVELOPMENT FOR MENTAL ILLNESSES
Washington, D.C. - One hundred and three medicines are in the pipeline to help the more than 50 million Americans who suffer from some form of mental illness, according to a newly released survey by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).
"Over the past half-century, pharmaceutical research has helped transform mental illness from a misunderstood cause of shame and fear into a highly treatable condition," said PhRMA President Alan F. Holmer, in releasing the survey. "Medicines are already helping people with depression function as productive workers and responsible family members. Breakthrough medicines for schizophrenia enable most patients to be treated in the community, and medicines for Alzheimer's are helping elderly people stay out of nursing homes. The 103 medicines now in testing offer hope of further reducing the terrible human and economic toll of mental illness."
The medicines are being tested for a variety of illnesses:
-- Depression, which afflicts some 19 million Americans and costs the economy an estimated $44 billion a year, is the target of 26 potential medicines.
-- Alzheimer's disease, which afflicts more than 4 million Americans at a cost of about $100 billion a year, and other dementias, are the focus of 24 new medicines.
-- Sixteen medicines are in the pipeline for schizophrenia, which affects more than 2 million Americans and costs more than $30 billion a year.
-- Anxiety disorders, the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting more than 19 million Americans, is the target of 13 potential medicines.
Other medicines are being developed to treat substance use disorders, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and other disorders.
"This year, pharmaceutical companies will spend an estimated $6 billion to discover and develop medicines for diseases of the central nervous system, including mental illnesses," said Holmer. "The industry is determined to develop new and better treatments to the 50 million Americans who suffer from mental illness."
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (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, happier, and more productive lives. Investing more than $26 billion in 2000 in discovering and developing new medicines, PhRMA companies are leading the way in the search for new cures.
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PhRMA Internet Address: http://www.phrma.org
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