PhRMA: Over 800 cancer treatments in pipeline

WASHINGTON — According to a new report from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, biopharmaceutical companies are in high gear developing cancer treatments. The report highlights data from the American Association for Cancer Research’s annual progress report, which shows that there are currently 836 medicines and vaccines for various cancers in the pipeline.

These treatments include 123 for lung cancer, which the report says is expected to kill 158,000 people this year; 106 for different types of leukemia; 92 for lymphoma; 82 for breast cancer, of which there will be 231,840 new cases this year, according to the report; 58 for brain tumors; and 53 for skin cancer and melanoma.

“The oncology research community has made significant advances in identifying new, more effective therapies to help people with cancer achieve positive treatment outcomes and transition from being cancer patients to cancer survivors,” PhRMA president and CEO John J. Castellani said. “However, the battle is far from over. This new report underscores the sustained commitment of biopharmaceutical companies to address the unmet medical needs of patients fighting these terrible diseases.”

According to PhRMA’s report, since the early 1990s, the death rate among patients with cancer has declined 22%, with 83% of survival gains attributable to new treatments. Also a focus in the report is the growth of personalized medicine among cancer patients, and of the medicine being developed, 73% has the potential to be used as a personalized medicine.

“Oncology is on fire with [personalized medicine[, with treatment selections based on individual molecular characteristics,” Janet Woodcock, director of Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said. “This is also happening with chronic infectious, and genetic diseases are not far behind.”

To see more data from the report, see the infographic below.