FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 24, 1997
Contact: Jackie Cottrell, (202) 835-3467
PhRMA MARKS WORLD AIDS DAY WITH RELEASE OF NEW STUDY
The War Against AIDS Continues with 124 New Medicines
Washington, D.C. -- Pharmaceutical companies have 124 new medicines and vaccines for AIDS in clinical trials or under review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to a survey released by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) to mark World AIDS Day (December 1).
"The survey results show that pharmaceutical companies continue to respond to the AIDS epidemic with innovative research and technology," said PhRMA President Alan F. Holmer. "Today there are 50 medicines to treat AIDS and AIDS-related conditions with 124 new medicines in development -- a remarkable achievement when you consider that just ten years ago there was only one drug on the market."
The potential medicines in clinical trials or under review by the FDA include:
-- 40 antiviral medicines and new protease inhibitors -- drugs discovered by pharmaceutical scientists which have proved remarkably effective in reducing the amount of virus in some patients;
-- 23 drugs to fight AIDS-related cancers, such as Kaposi's sarcoma;
-- 11 anti-infective medicines to fight opportunistic diseases, such as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), which afflicts 8 out of 10 AIDS patients;
-- 5 gene therapies designed to genetically alter cells in a patient to make them more resistant;
-- 12 vaccines, including the first DNA-based preventive AIDS vaccines.
"World AIDS Day 1997 should be a time to celebrate the remarkable achieve-ments and drive the momentum forward even further," said Holmer. "Pharmaceutical innovation is making inroads against this terrible disease -- last year the death rate for AIDS fell 26% and new cases dropped for the first time since the epidemic began," Holmer continued. To further illustrate his point Holmer stated that 10,000 lives have been saved or prolonged due to AIDS therapies.
"Studies have shown that drug treatment cuts the transmission of the virus from mothers to babies and that combination therapy helps AIDS patients live longer and suffer fewer infections, even if they are in advanced stages of the disease," said Holmer. "Our companies will keep researching and developing new drugs until the war is won."
Despite the decline in mortality and new cases, AIDS remains a leading killer in the United States. AIDS is the eighth leading cause of death for Americans of all ages, the seventh leading cause of death among children 14 and under, and the top killer of young African Americans.
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 lead longer, happier, healthier and more productive lives. Investing nearly $19 billion this year in discovering and developing new medicines, PhRMA companies are leading the way in the search for cures.
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PhRMA Internet Address: http://www.phrma.org
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