More Videos
SPECIAL REPORT
- BofA On Proposed Changes In The Housing Bailout Program
- The Future of The Media Landscape
- November Auto Sales Muddle Along
- Busch: What Obama Won't Say Tonight
- Stick with Equities—Avoid Emerging Markets: Laszlo Birinyi
- Pfizer Chomps On A Carrot
- Predictions 2010: Technology
- Predictions 2010: Consumers
- Predictions 2010: The Big Picture
- Who Were the Biggest Winners And Losers This Year?
- GE, Comcast Complete Deal Over NBC Universal: Source
- US May Raise Rates Before Jobs Recover: Fed's Plosser
- Stocks Likely Don't Need Santa to Keep Rally Going
- Larry Kudlow's Open Letter to Tiger Woods
- AIG Slashes US Debt Under Deal With New York Fed
- Seamstress Fined $5.7 Million for Insider Trading
- Super Fantasy Christmas Gifts of 2009
- Commercial Property Fears Are Overblown: Zell, LeFrak
PHARMA'S MARKET VIDEO
RSS FEED
Pharma's Market
Text Size 
 |
AP Obesity & Diabetes |
In biopharma, medicine and investment circles diabetes is considered one of those big areas of unmet medical need. Some experts call the disease—side by side with obesity—an epidemic.
For example, the number of Americans with diabetes is forecast to jump from 11 million at the turn of the century to 29 million by mid-century.
Dozens of biopharma and medical device companies are selling or developing drugs and gadgets to address what is a fast-growing market that will be measured in the tens of billions of dollars.
But are the products really worth all that money? A study just out in the peer-reviewed medical journal "Archives of Internal Medicine" says maybe not.
From 2001 to 2007 the article says diabetes drug spending nearly doubled to twelve-and-a-half billion dollars as several new treatments and new types of treatments came to market. In addition, many more patients started being prescribed more than one diabetes drug.
That includes Byetta from Eli Lilly [LLY
Loading...
()
]and Amylin Pharmaceuticals [AMLN
Loading...
()
] and Januvia and Janumet from Merck [MRK
Loading...
()
], just to name a few.
The newly published pharmacoeconomic (now that's a mouthful) study done by researchers at Stanford and the University of Chicago is based on data from around 3,500 docs and 20,000 pharmacies.
The authors conclude:
"Although many of these newer therapies have made therapy more convenient and may have potentially lowered the risk of treatment-associated complications, further research of their long-term benefits is needed. Cost-effectiveness analyses are lacking to demonstrate that these higher treatment costs yield proportionate improvements in outcomes."
As that debate simmers, and maybe heats up under the next administration, diabetes drug development continues in earnest. The next major advances are expected out of NovoNordisk [NVO
Loading...
()
] with a one-a-day injectable and LLY and AMLN with a once-a-week shot. A drug duel that is looking like it could turn into a battle royale.
Questions? Comments?
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes