37 new medicines in development for Parkinson’s disease by PhRMA firms

The USA’s biopharmaceutical research companies currently are developing 37 innovative new medicines to help the estimated 10 million people worldwide who are living with Parkinson’s disease.

These medicines in development – all either in clinical trials or under review by the Food and Drug Administration – include 23 for Parkinson’s disease, 11 for related conditions and three diagnostics, according to a new report by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), which is available on the trade group’s web site: http://www.phrma.org/

Parkinson's disease is the second-most common neurodegenerative disorder in the USA. It is unknown exactly how many Americans are living with Parkinson’s, but estimates range up to 1.5 million. Each year, around 60,000 additional patients are newly diagnosed, and this does not reflect the thousands of cases that go undetected. Without any change, by 2040 the prevalence of Parkinson’s disease is expected to more than double.