Skin diseases ranging from acne to psoriasis and from melanoma to infections, are more common than most people know and they come with not only a medical but also a financial burden. According to a study by the Lewin Group, the total annual cost of skin diseases was estimated at $39.3 billion in 2005.
According to a new report from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), America’s biopharmaceutical research companies currently are developing 277 medicines to help the more than 100 million Americans, one third of the U.S. population, that suffer from at least one skin disease.
New medicines today in the research and development pipeline offer hope of reducing the human and economic costs of the many skin disorders affecting Americans. They include:
- 74 for skin cancers, including 63 for melanoma, which affects more than 68,000 Americans each year and is the most common form of cancer in the United States.
- 60 for skin and soft tissue infections, which account for nearly 14 million outpatient visits each year.
- 41 for psoriasis, which affects about 7.5 million people in the United States, and is the most prevalent autoimmune disease in this country.
- 14 for dermatitis (eczema), where 90% of suffers get the disorder before the age of 5. Worldwide 10-20% of children have dermatitis.
- 9 for rosacea, which affects more than 14 million Americans.
Read more about selected medicines in development for skin diseases.
These diseases affect people of all ages, racial and ethnic populations and economic status. At any given time, one in three people in the United States suffers from a skin disease.
"Advances in our understanding of the skin and the diverse disorders that affect it have allowed America’s pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to conduct the cutting- edge research needed to reduce the toll on the wide range of people afflicted with skin disorders," said John J. Castellani, PhRMA’s president and CEO.
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