Pharmaceutical Research Is Focusing on the Elderly

By Vivian Marino, NY Times 

Some 135 pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are now developing 294 medicines aimed at diseases that disproportionately affect older people, like cancer, heart disease and stroke, according to study results that were released last week by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a trade group based in Washington.

Pharmaceutical companies may be steadily losing the patent protection on their established drugs in the United States, but sales from new medications that cater to an aging population could more than make up for any lost revenue. And there are plenty of these drugs in the pipeline.

Some 135 pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are now developing 294 medicines aimed at diseases that disproportionately affect older people, along with 402 medicines for cancer and 122 for heart disease and stroke, according to study results that were released last week by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a trade group based in Washington.

The drugs now in development for older Americans include 17 medicines for Alzheimer's disease, which is expected to more than triple in number of cases by the middle of the century, and 14 medicines for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is a major cause of hospitalization among the elderly.

Others drugs include 30 for diabetes, which affects 1 in 5 Americans 65 and older; 20 for osteoporosis, which is expected to affect more than 61 million Americans by 2020; and 14 for Parkinson's disease, of which some 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.

"With an elderly population that is growing daily, millions of people will be counting on the fruits of the pharmaceutical industry's research into diseases of aging," said Alan F. Holmer, who is president of the pharmaceutical research and manufacturers group.

Baby boomers ≈ those born from 1946 to 1964 ≈ will begin turning 65 in 2011. From then until 2030, the number of elderly people will rise from 40 million to 70 million, or 20 percent of the population, according to the Census Bureau.