According to a recent report, prepared by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, U.S. pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies are testing a record 183 new diabetes medicines.
This is welcome news, given the 24 million diabetics and 57 million with pre-diabetes in the U.S. It is also somewhat surprising in that the recent tightening of criteria for new drug approval by the FDA–prompted by cardiovascular side effects of some anti-diabetic drugs–was predicted to reduce interest in this space by biopharma companies.
Likely, most of the drugs in development were already in the pipeline when the new FDA criteria saw light. Also, while the number (183) seems large, it includes many re-formulations or obvious extensions of existing drugs. The number of truly innovative drugs can probably be counted on two hands; and while these innovative drugs will have the biggest impact on healthcare if and when approved, they are also the riskiest and will face the toughest scrutiny from the FDA.
The obvious need for more drugs for diabetes coupled with the FDA’s tougher stance creates a dilemma for pharmaceutical companies. With the annual cost of diabetes to the healthcare system approaching $200 billion, tackling diabetes and pre-diabetes should be priorities for policy makers in Washington.
The fact that the new nominee to the Supreme Court has type I diabetes could be an important catalyst for much needed policy guidance from government. Regarding type 2 diabetes, the most common type, one can hope that guidelines as to healthy lifestyles will become a high priority, similar to the anti-smoking campaign of the last decade.
Subscribe in RSS Reader
