Your Health

Medical Innovation Means New Drugs And Jobs

Posted 8/5/2010

A recent report says the U.S. needs to support the biosciences in grades K−12 to get the workforce it needs to stay competitive globally.

(NAPSI) - There's good news for America's patients and its economic competitiveness. The United States continues to lead the globe when it comes to researching and developing new medicines.

In fact, 75 percent of all new drugs approved worldwide from 2005−2007 were first introduced in the United States, according to the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development.

Plus, data from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) show that with more than 2,900 potential new medicines to treat a wide range of diseases now in late stages of development or awaiting regulatory approval, there is reason to hope for new and better treatments and cures.

At the same time, however, there are indications that America's role as the global engine for the discovery of new medical advances may be slipping. A recent report released by the Council for American Medical Innovation (CAMI) warns that the United States is losing ground to other countries that are pursuing medical innovation as a pathway to economic growth.

The report calls for quick, coordinated action at the highest levels-in the government, in business and academia--to ensure future U.S. competitiveness when it comes to spurring medical innovation, creating new high-paying jobs and strengthening the economy.

"The CAMI report is a real wake-up call both for policy makers and the public," says Billy Tauzin, president and CEO of PhRMA.

In addition, the CAMI report detailed several steps that American policy makers can take to help keep the U.S. No. 1 in medical research and innovation. These include enhanced White House−level leadership for making a pro-innovation economic environment a national priority.

Additionally, the report calls on the United States to increase its national talent pool in math and the sciences through targeted federal support for biosciences in K−12 science, technology, engineering and mathematics education to help America build and sustain the workforce needed to compete globally in the future.

"If we are strong enough to take actions like these," says Tauzin, "it will help America remain the global leader when it comes to developing new and better medicines. At the same time, these efforts will help ensure that American biopharmaceutical research jobs stay right here in the U.S.--which is critical to our future economic health."

For more information on PhRMA and new medicines now being developed, visit www.PhRMA.org. To read the complete CAMI report "Gone Tomorrow?", visit http://americanmedicalinnovation.org/gone-tomorrow.