May-Arthritis

May is Arthritis Awareness Month

According to the Arthritis Foundation, arthritis, while often referred to as if it were a single disease, is actually an umbrella term used for a group of more than 100 medical conditions that collectively affect an estimated 50 million adults and nearly 300,000 children in America alone.^[i] Specific types of arthritis include childhood arthritis, gout, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus).
 
Recognizing the impact that arthritis has on such a large portion of the population, Innovation.org highlights important and innovative research into new arthritis treatments. Click on the links below to read more about arthritis research.

 
New Medicines in Development for Specific Patient Populations
Women: According to the Arthritis Foundation, 24.3 million women have been diagnosed with arthritis, and arthritis strikes women more often than men.^[ii] Rheumatoid arthritis affects approximately 1.3 million people in the United States, with women outnumbering men 2.5 to 1.^[iii]  The Lupus Foundation of America estimates that 1.5 million Americans have a form of lupus, 90% of whom are women.^[iv] And fibromyalgia affects 3 million to 6 million Americans, up to 90 percent of whom are women.^[v] Click here to read about  the 851 medicines in development to treat these and other diseases that disproportionately affect women.

Children: A 2010 report by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) found that biopharmaceutical researchers are testing 230 medicines to help meet the special health care needs of children. Juvenile arthritis is the most common form of arthritis in children, and it affects nearly 250,000 children under age 16, according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.^[vi] Click here to find out about medicines in development for juvenile arthritis and other diseases that affect children.

Older Americans: More than 2,000 medicines for older Americans are currently being tested in clinical trials or are waiting for Food and Drug Administration approval, according to a November 2008 report released by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). The new medicines in development include treatments for debilitating conditions affecting older Americans, including diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. In all there are 86 medicines in development for rheumatoid arthritis, according to the report. Click here to read more about medicines in development for seniors.

Innovation in Arthritis – Discoverers Awards
Each year, PhRMA honors pharmaceutical research scientists whose research and development of new medicines have greatly benefited humankind, and whose dedication and interest in improving the quality of life exemplify the best in the research industry with the Discoverers Award.

The Story of Celebrex^®

The 2002 Discoverer’s Award went to Peter Isakson, Ph.D., Jaime Masferrer, Ph.D., Karen Seibert, Ph.D., and John Talley, Ph.D., for creating the molecule celecoxib, the basis for the arthritis medicine Celebrex^®, which blocks the inflammation-triggering action of the COX-2 enzyme, bringing relief to millions of people around the world who suffer from osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and pain.

 

The Story of Enbrel^®
The 2001 Discoverers Award went to Raymond G. Goodwin, Ph.D., and Craig A. Smith, Ph.D., for developing etanercept (Enbrel^®), the first of a new class of drugs for rheumatoid arthritis that are known as biologic response modifiers. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1998 and has been used by over 280,000 people worldwide, many of whom led lives in crippling pain before this medicine was available.

 

The Story of Zyloprim^®
The 1987 Discoverers Award went to George H. Hitchings, Ph.D., for developing the anti-gout (considered a form of arthritis) drug allopurinol (Zyloprim^®). Gout is caused by an excess of uric acid (a waste product) in the blood and can cause painful inflammation and swelling in the affected joints.

Click here for a list of all of the Discoverers Awards given by PhRMA since 1987.

Then and Now – Juvenile Arthritis
In previous generations, a child growing up with this debilitating autoimmune disease, which causes severe joint inflammation, had no choice but to take large doses of steroids to control the swelling or dozens of aspirins each day to reduce the pain. Click here to read more about recent advances in treating juvenile arthritis.

^[i]Arthritis Foundation. "Arthritis Prevalence 2011" http://www.arthritis.org/media/newsroom/Arthritis%20Prevalence%20Fact%20Sheet%20FINAL%201-20-11.pdf (Accessed 11 May 2011).

^[ii]Arthritis Foundation, "Arthritis Burden Greater for Women," http://www.arthritis.org/arthritis-women-burden.php (Accessed 11 May 2011).

^[iii]Arthritis Foundation. "Arthritis Prevalence 2011" http://www.arthritis.org/media/newsroom/Arthritis%20Prevalence%20Fact%20Sheet%20FINAL%201-20-11.pdf (Accessed 11 May 2011).

^[iv]Lupus Foundation of America. "Statistics on Lupus" http://www.lupus.org/webmodules/webarticlesnet/templates/new_newsroomreporters.aspx?articleid=247&zoneid=60 (Accessed 11 May 2011).

^[v]Fibromyalgia-Symptoms.org. "Fibromyalgia and Women" http://www.fibromyalgia-symptoms.org/fibromyalgia_women.html (Accessed 11 May 2011).

^[vi]American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. "Juvenile Arthritis"

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00075 (Acessed 11 May 2011).