For the pharma industry, the aging global population is both a testament to its success and a test of its limitations.
Over the past century, pharmaceuticals have played a massive role in increasing life expectancy.
Some estimates suggest that the introduction of antibiotics in the 1920s led to an increase in average life expectancy in the developed world by as much as 20 years. According to a recent WHO report, vaccination has prevented 154 million deaths globally, including 101 million among infants since 1974. In the U.S., innovations in medicine are responsible for more than one third of the improvement in life expectancy from 1990 to 2015, according to a study published in Health Affairs.
But solving one problem invariably creates another. Aging is the dominant risk factor for many of the world’s most common chronic diseases — everything from heart failure to Alzheimer’s to cancer. And multimorbidity is widespread. It’s estimated that 80% of U.S. adults aged 60 and older have two or more chronic diseases.
When the hourglass was invented in the Middle Ages, it had a specific utility: to track time. But the instrument ultimately became a symbolic reminder that the passage of time is unrelenting, and as such, how we spend those hours matters. And I think it’s safe to assume that everyone wants to live out their lives in the healthiest state possible.
When it comes to aging, pharmacologic interventions have mostly been limited to treating the symptoms of one chronic disease at a time. But as you will read in this month’s cover story, many young biotechs have stepped up to the forefront of innovation, offering technology platforms that have produced compelling preclinical research that has the potential to slow the sands of time. Science is edging closer to a single combination gene therapy that can treat multiple age-related diseases in humans. The partial reprogramming of cells’ epigenetic state that could return cells and tissues to a more youthful condition, without altering the cell’s identity, is also within reach.
The result is a longevity market on the brink of coming into its own. Time is a valuable commodity and so too will be anything that can delay or reverse its negative effects.
Even more valuable than the market longevity therapeutics will create is the promise of transforming the narrative of aging from one of progressive decline to one of sustained vitality.
Reporting on this transformative power of pharmaceuticals has been one of the great privileges of my tenure at Pharma Manufacturing. But sometimes, in both industry and life, in order to embrace progress, you have to flip the hourglass and reset. To that end, after 11+ years of serving the audience of Pharma Manufacturing, I am stepping down from my position as chief content director.
I am confident that the brand will continue to thrive and evolve, much like the industry it covers. To my loyal readers, thank you for your years of trust, support and shared passion for this incredible industry — and welcome to the next era of Pharma Manufacturing.
