May-Arthritis
May is National Arthritis Month
According to the Arthritis Foundation, arthritis, while often referred to as if it were a single disease, is actually an umbrella term used for a group of more than 100 medical conditions that collectively affect nearly 46 million adults and 300,000 children in America alone1. Specific types of arthritis include childhood arthritis, gout, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus).
Recognizing the impact that arthritis has on such a large portion of the population, Innovation.org highlights important and innovative research into new arthritis treatments. Click on the links below to read more about arthritis research.
Then and Now – Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
In previous generations, a child growing up with this debilitating autoimmune disease, which causes severe joint inflammation, had no choice but to take large doses of steroids to control the swelling or dozens of aspirins each day to reduce the pain. Click here to read more about recent advances in treating juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
Medicines in Development for Specific Patient Populations
Women: According to the Arthritis Foundation, rheumatoid arthritis affects 2.1 million Americans, 70% of them women. Fibromyalgia, associated with arthritis, is a chronic pain syndrome that affects approximately 2% of the U.S. population, of which most are women. In addition, the Lupus Research Institute estimates that lupus, a form of arthritis, affects nearly 2 million Americans, 90% of whom are women. Click here to read about medicines in development to treat these and other diseases that disproportionately affect women.
Children: An April 2007 report by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) found that biopharmaceutical researchers are testing 219 medicines to help meet the special health care needs of children. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is the most common form of arthritis in children, and it affects 70,000-100,000 children under age 16, according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. Click here to find out about medicines in development for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases that affect children.
Elderly: More than 900 new medicines are in development to treat the diseases of aging, according to a July 2005 report released by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). One medicine currently in clinical trials for rheumatoid arthritis targets immune cells, B cells, which are believed to play a role in the progress of the disease. In all there are 38 medicines in development for rheumatoid arthritis, according to the report. Click here to read more about medicines in development for seniors.
Charts
The following charts demonstrate the important role of new medicines in improving life for patients with arthritis.
Click here to view all of Innovation.org’s charts.
Innovation in Arthritis – Discoverers Awards
Each year, PhRMA honors pharmaceutical research scientists whose research and development of new medicines have greatly benefited humankind, and whose dedication and interest in improving the quality of life exemplify the best in the research industry with the Discoverers Award.
The Story of Celebrex
The 2002 Discoverer’s Award went to Peter Isakson, Ph.D., Jaime Masferrer, Ph.D., Karen Seibert, Ph.D., and John Talley, Ph.D., for creating the molecule celecoxib, the basis for the arthritis medicine Celebrex®, which blocks the inflammation-triggering action of the COX-2 enzyme, bringing relief to millions of people around the world who suffer from osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and pain.
The Story of Enbrel®
The 2001 Discoverers Award went to Raymond G. Goodwin, Ph.D., and Craig A. Smith, Ph.D., for developing etanercept (Enbrel®), the first of a new class of drugs for rheumatoid arthritis that are known as biologic response modifiers. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1998 and has been used by over 280,000 people worldwide, many of whom led lives in crippling pain before this medicine was available.
The Story of Zyloprim®
The 1987 Discoverers Award went to George H. Hitchings, Ph.D., for developing the anti-gout (considered a form of arthritis) drug allopurinol (Zyloprim®). Gout is caused by an excess of uric acid (a waste product) in the blood and can cause painful inflammation and swelling in the affected joints.
Click here for a list of all of the Discoverers Awards given by PhRMA since 1987.
1Arthritis Foundation. “What is Arthritis?” http://www.arthritis.org/what-is-arthritis.php (Accessed 10 April 2008).
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