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146 new medicines in development, says PhRMA 
Every 34 seconds, an American dies from cardiovascular disease and more than 70 million Americans suffer from one or more types of cardiovascular disease, costing our society nearly $400 billion a year. As a result, 146 new medications are now in development or in the final approval process to help patients fight heart disease and strokes. These treatments are being developed by America's biopharmaceutical companies and are now in the pipeline according to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).
"Heart disease and strokes are still a leading cause of early death," said Billy Tauzin, PhRMA president and CEO, "but we are working to change that." Since 1900, heart disease has topped the list of killer diseases every year but one. The exception was 1918, when an influenza epidemic killed more than 450,000 Americans. Strokes are the third leading cause of death in the United States after cancer. The new medicines now in development include 17 for stroke, which afflicts about 700,000 Americans each year; 16 for congestive heart failure, which kills more than 50,000 Americans a year; 10 for high blood pressure, a leading risk factor for both heart disease and stroke; 8 for heart attacks, which strike more than half a million Americans a year; and 13 for arrhythmias, which cause more than 37,000 deaths a year. Due in large part to new medications and treatments developed by America's pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies, heart disease and stroke death rates continue to fall. Without the new medications developed over the last 30 years, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), 815,000 more Americans would die annually from heart disease and 250,000 more would die from strokes. Much of the progress made in cutting heart disease and stroke death rates springs from the development of effective medications to control blood pressure and cholesterol. Additionally, heart treatments have vastly improved in the last 25 years. For example, bed-rest, once the standard treatment for heart attacks, has been replaced by medicines that can stop a heart attack in mid-stream. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) represents the country's leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies, which are devoted to inventing medicines that allow patients to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. See related articles in AgeVenture archives. Read more health and fitness news in AgeVenture's Headline News Read about active, healthy living in AgeVenture's Head Lifestyle Back to Top |