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New Medications in Development
PhRMA News Release (FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE)
CONTACT: Jeff Trewhitt, (202) 835-3464, Claude Gruener (512) 479-5080
SURVEY FINDS 99 MEDICINES IN DEVELOPMENT FOR MENTAL ILLNESS
Washington D.C., Jan. 13, 2003 - Pharmaceutical companies are working on 99
potential treatments for a variety of mental illnesses - from Alzheimer's
disease to depression to schizophrenia to dependence on alcohol - according to
a new survey by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).
All of the medicines are either in human clinical testing or awaiting approval
by the Food and Drug Administration.
"Over the past half century, pharmaceutical research has helped transform
mental illnesses from misunderstood causes of shame and fear into highly
treatable conditions," said PhRMA President and CEO Alan F. Holmer. "Still,
more than 50 million Americans suffer from some form of mental illness, and
these illnesses cost our economy more than $180 billion a year. The potential
medicines in the pipeline promise to reduce the toll of these illnesses and
allow more people to lead healthier, happier, more productive lives."
The medicines in development include:
 | 17 for dementias, including Alzheimer's disease, which affects nearly
half of all Americans 85 and older; |
| 25 for depression, which affects more than 20 million Americans; |
| 25 for substance abuse disorders, including dependence on alcohol,
tobacco or illicit drugs; |
| 18 for anxiety disorders, which affect more than 13 percent of adults
between the ages of 18 and 54; and |
| 12 for schizophrenia, which strikes some 2.2 million adults each year. |
Other potential medicines target attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder,
eating disorders, premenstrual disorders and sleep disorders. For more
information on medicines in development for mental illness, go to
www.phrma.org.
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, and more productive lives. The industry invested more
than $30 billion in 2001 in discovering and developing new medicines. PhRMA
companies are leading the way in the search for new cures.
For more information see:
http://www.phrma.org/newmedicines/mentalillness/
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Backgrounder:
SELECTED MEDICINES IN DEVELOPMENT FOR MENTAL ILLNESS
FIGHTING COCAINE ADDICTION: The National Institute on Drug Abuse
estimates that nearly 4 million Americans use cocaine. Currently no medication
addresses cocaine addiction, but a therapeutic vaccine in development may
prove an effective treatment. The vaccine is designed to induce
cocaine-specific antibodies that bind to cocaine in the blood, blocking its
uptake into the brain. The physiological response to cocaine is thus altered,
reducing the reinforcing properties of cocaine and permitting patients to
break the cycle of addiction.
NEW APPROACH TO DEPRESSION: More than 18 million Americans suffer from
depression, and, despite the success of medicines invented in the past few
decades, many patients fail to benefit from existing treatments. A new
medicine in development will offer doctors and patients more treatment
options. Most existing medicines affect only one neurotransmitter in the
brain, serotonin. The new medicine enhances the levels of both serotonin and
another neurotransmitter, norepinephrine.
ALLEVIATING ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE: Alzheimer's Disease, the most common
cause of dementia among people 65 and older, affects about 4 million
Americans. A new medicine in development is the first in a new class of drugs
known as NMDA (N-methyl D-aspartate) receptor antagonists. The medicine works
by modulating the levels of glutamate, a nerve-signaling agent in the brain.
Too much glutamate can lead to the death of nerve cells.
HELP FOR ANXIETY AND PANIC ATTACKS: Anxiety disorders affect more than
19 million adults ages 18 to 54 in the U.S., more than 13 percent of the
population in this age group. Generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by
excessive worry, occurring more days than not for a period of at least six
months, accompanied by symptoms such as restlessness, fatigue, difficulty
concentrating, irritability, muscle tension and disturbed sleep. Panic
disorder is a severe anxiety condition characterized by panic attacks, acute
episodes of anxiety with such symptoms as difficulty breathing, sweating,
heart palpitations, dizziness, and fear of losing control. A new medicine in
development may be able to help both those people with generalized anxiety
disorder and those with panic disorder. The new medicine is a member of the
cyclopyrrolone class of compounds, which modulate the transmission of gamma-aminobutyric
acid (GABA). By normalizing the action of GABA in the brain, the medicine may
reduce the abnormal neuronal activity associated with anxiety and panic
attacks.
TREATMENT FOR ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE: Abuse of alcohol costs the U.S. an
estimated $185 billion each year, due to lost productivity, premature deaths
and treatment expenditures. A potential new medicine for alcohol dependence
works by regulating a process in the brain called the "glutamate pathway."
This pathway becomes activated when people addicted to alcohol experience
withdrawal. The drug normalizes the hyperactivity in the glutamate system that
occurs during alcohol withdrawal.
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, and more productive lives. The industry invested more
than $30 billion in 2001 in discovering and developing new medicines. PhRMA
companies are leading the way in the search for new cures.
###
Last Updated on
04/14/04
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