During 2009, drug treatments for ten diseases in the U.S. will bring pharma companies nearly $170 billion in sales. Those include drugs for major killers like cardiovascular diseases and a number of cancers. Also among the most successful emerging treatments are ones for mental disorders.
Patents on a number of the older blockbuster drugs are running out and a new generation of biotech drugs is offering competition to traditional treatments. Some of the companies that are in the next wave of solving medicine's largest problems are worth watching.
24/7 Wall St. and BioHealth Investor recently took a look at the ten biggest disorders and diseases and put together a list of the potential blockbuster drugs that are likely to hit the market soon.
Type 2 diabetes can lead to severe heart and kidney problems and the number of Americans getting the disease is rising as the population ages. Small biotech firm Mannkind (NASDAQ: MNKD) is having success developing inhalable biopharmaceutical insulin that could make drug injections a thing of the past.
Arthritis is a health problem that primarily affects the aging population. Array Biopharma Inc. (NASDAQ: ARRY) has shown promising results for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
Schizophrenia has long been one of the most difficult mental disorders to treat. Elan Corp. (NYSE: ELN) and J&J (NYSE: JNJ) are developing a drug that could be successful with one injection a month, making it less likely that patients will skip treatment.
Finally, multiple sclerosis is one of the most debilitating diseases. Biogen Idec Inc. (NASDAQ: BIIB) has had success developing a product that slows the progression of MS.
Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at BioHealth Investor.
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