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Newsletters Archive
Newsletters Archive
Year in Innovation – A Look Back at 2007
19 December, 2007 - A recent poll by Research!America and PhRMA found that most Americans are optimistic about the potential for continued medical progress in the United States. Over 70% think that significant medical breakthroughs will occur in the next decade for cardiovascular diseases and cancers, and 74% agree that the U.S. is a global leader in medical research.
HIV/AIDS - 20 Years of Progress
3 December, 2007 - December 1st marked the 20th World AIDS Day, a day dedicated to increasing awareness of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Much progress has been made since the first World AIDS Day in 1988 and this year progress against HIV/AIDS continued: two new first-in-class drugs were approved by the FDA that may offer new hope for patients who have not had success with existing treatments.
New Abuse-Resistant Medications May Combat Rise in Prescription Drug Misuse
31 October, 2007 - Scientists are working to develop new abuse-resistant medicines to fight the growing trend of prescription drug misuse. Recent studies have shown that the rate of non-medical prescription drug use is on the rise. According to a recent report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, from 1992 to 2003 the number of Americans abusing prescription drugs nearly doubled from 7.8 million to 15.1 million.
Newer Drugs Boost Breast Cancer Survival
27 September, 2007 - A new study in the journal Cancer shows, for the first time ever, that access to newer breast cancer treatments improves survival for patients. Survival times of patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) improved by about 30% in the 1990s. Researchers linked this with the availability of new medicines.
Turning the Corner on Cancer
9 April, 2007 - In the last decade there have been great advances in cancer treatment. In fact, many experts believe that with the advent of targeted cancer therapies, better detection and prevention we are turning a corner in the fight against cancer. Last year we reached a major milestone. Data in 2006 showed that for the first time in over 70 years, cancer deaths in the United States began to fall in 2003.
Cardiovascular Medicines and Prevention
13 March, 2007 - Recent studies show the power of cardiovascular medicines to save lives, prevent hospitalizations, and control health care spending. A 2007 study in Health Affairs examined the impact of blood pressure, or antihypertensive, drugs on the health of Americans. The researchers found that without the introduction of antihypertensives the average blood pressure of people over age 40 in 1999-2000 would have been 10-13% higher.
Diverse Benefits of Statins Shown in Recent Research
19 December, 2006 - The drug class known has statins has long been known to reduce cholesterol, but more benefits are still being discovered and quantified. A recent study in the American Journal of Cardiology found that the average age of death of patients taking statins was two years older than among those not taking statins. This increased life expectancy was despite the fact that these patients were in a higher risk category.
Public-private partnership to advance biomarkers
31 October, 2006 - The recent launch of The Biomarkers Consortium illustrates the opportunities and challenges in the emerging field of personalized medicine. One of the most significant scientific challenges is the validation of the genomic markers that must provide a foundation for personalized medicine. The Biomarkers Consortium, a unique public-private biomedical research partnership, launched on Oct. 5th, will help address this challenge.
New advances bring benefits to patients that build on past breakthroughs
21 July, 2006 - Pharmaceutical advances recently in the news point out the importance of incremental innovation in improving patient care. A medicine with a more convenient form of dosing for AIDS patients, a novel insulin delivery system for diabetes patients, and more potent drugs for leukemia patients. All of these advances build on previous breakthroughs, but as advances like these accumulate they can mean just as much to patients as the original trailblazers.
A Revolution in Treating Cancer
7 July, 2006 - Recent advances in treating cancer may represent a watershed in the fight against the disease. "I think we really are in the midst of a revolution in the treatment of cancer. I honestly believe that. I think that watershed last year was real; I think the numbers we’re starting to see are real; targeted therapies are here to stay. We’re in for some very exciting times," said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer of the American Cancer Society, at a recent briefing in Washington, DC. Media reports last month coming out of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting echoed his optimism. A Forbes article reported that new anticancer medicines show "significant promise."
Over 160 drugs developed in the past decade for rare diseases
28 April, 2006 - In the past decade (1995-2005), biopharmaceutical companies have developed over 160 drugs to treat rare, or "orphan", diseases which affect fewer than 200,000 Americans. This number is up from 108 the decade before (1984-1994) and just 10 in the 1970s. A new publication, "A Decade of Innovation: Advances in the Treatment of Rare Diseases," highlights the great progress that has been made in the last ten years in the treatment of patients with rare diseases.
New medicines improving seniors’ health and containing total costs
31 January, 2006 - The new Medicare prescription drug benefit now going into effect will help ensure that seniors have affordable access to the medicines they need. Research is showing how continued discovery of new medicines not only benefits seniors’ health, but helps control total health care costs as well. Recent findings on treatments for many of the diseases most common among seniors show how new medicines can extend lives, preserve independence, and off-set costly care, such as hospitalizations.
Better Use of Medicines Leads to Better Health and Lower Costs
21 December, 2005 - Physicians have long recognized the importance of making sure patients stay on prescribed treatment regimens. New research is revealing the surprising breadth of the problem of patients not adhering to their prescribed treatments. In addition, the latest research also shows the clinical and economic benefits when patients achieve even modest improvements in adherence rates.
Chemo Adds 2 Years for Lung Cancer Patients, Study Shows
1 October, 2005 - In a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), researchers found that chemotherapy following surgery in patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (the most common form of the disease) significantly lengthens life in many patients previously believed not to stand any benefit. “Surgery is not the primary and only care any longer... a short course of chemotherapy led to significant improvements in survival and recurrence-free survival,” said lead researcher Dr. Timothy Winton of the University of Alberta. Standard care guidelines are now being rewritten in response to the study.
Medicines Help Control Cardiovascular Risks of Obesity
1 August, 2005 - An estimated 65% of American adults are overweight or obese. The problem is expected to become more serious in coming years. Curbing the health and economic costs of obesity represents a basic health care challenge.
Depression treatment saves employers money, New tool calculates savings
1 July, 2005 - In a recent and first-of-its-kind article, researchers found that improving treatment for depression had a positive effect on productivity and absenteeism.
Landmark Advance in Brain Cancer Treatment
1 April, 2005 - Researchers have announced the first major advance in over 30 years in treating glioblastoma, the most common and deadly form of brain cancer.
Medical Groups Highlight Growing Burden of Diabetes, Importance of New Medicines as Part of the Solution
22 March, 2005 - Facing a growing epidemic of diabetes, several health care professional groups have urged more aggressive, consistent treatment to meet the challenge.
Progress in Fight Against Colorectal Cancer
1 March, 2005 - The introduction of new medicines over the past 10 years has “resulted in significant progress in the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer,” according to a new article in the New England Journal of Medicine.
AIDS Drugs in Development Could Build on Success of Current Treatments
2 December, 2004 - Scientists are pursuing a new generation of HIV drugs that could stop the virus from entering the cell, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article.
Medicines Increase Life Expectancy and Quality
24 November, 2004 - Americans' life expectancy hit an all-time high of 77.3 years in 2002, according to a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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