 |
| Geriatric Medicines |
Rising Life Expectancy and the Growing Geriatric Population
As average life expectancy continues to rise globally, the worldwide population of older adults aged 65 and over is growing at an unprecedented rate. According to recent estimates from the United Nations, the number of people aged 60 or over is projected to more than double by 2050, rising from 962 million currently to nearly 2.1 billion. High-income countries have traditionally had larger shares of older populations but rapidly aging demographics are now a reality in middle and low-income nations as well. By 2050, eight out of ten of the world's older people will be living in low and middle income countries. This massive demographic shift has profound implications for healthcare systems and medicinal markets around the world.
Unique Healthcare Needs of Elderly Patients
Geriatric Medicines tend to have complex medical profiles characterized by multiple chronic conditions and age-related frailty. Older adults are also more likely to be taking multiple medications concurrently to manage an assortment of ailments. This greater disease burden and polypharmacy among seniors give rise to unique healthcare needs. According to experts, ten to twenty five percent of geriatric medication uses are potentially inappropriate due to factors like redundant drug combinations, failure to consider declining organ function with age, or drug interactions. Addressing age-related changes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics is crucial for optimizing therapeutics for the elderly. Proper geriatric assessments, comprehensive reviews of medication regimens, and effective management of geriatric syndromes like falls prevention become increasingly vital components of quality healthcare for older populations.
Developing Effective Geriatric Medicines
The rapid global aging trend has major implications for the pharmaceutical industry which must develop innovative solutions tailored for this growing demographic. Sponsors are working to produce effective drugs with enhanced safety profiles suitable for complex geriatric patients. Key considerations in geriatric drug development include ensuring adequate representation of elderly patients in clinical trials, evaluating medicines for any age-related changes in dosing needs, monitoring closely for adverse drug events, and considering geriatric-focused post-marketing studies as well. Beyond traditional geriatric medications for chronic diseases, innovative products are also being explored for conditions more prevalent in older populations such as frailty, sarcopenia, neurocognitive decline, incontinence, and functional decline. Orally disintegrating formulations, transdermal patches, and compliance packaging have potential applications for making medicines more accessible and user-friendly for elderly individuals.
Regulatory Guidance and Labelling for Geriatric Patients
To support the effective and safe use of medicines among older adults, international regulatory agencies offer important guidance for geriatric considerations in drug development and labelling. Key recommendations include identifying any increased risks of adverse reactions in the elderly through pharmacokinetic and safety studies, determining appropriate dosing in geriatric subpopulations, and highlighting special precautions for using the drug in the elderly on product labels and information sheets. For example, the US Food and Drug Administration emphasizes the inclusion of geriatric patients in clinical trials wherever feasible. They advise sponsors to evaluate any changes in safety or effectiveness parameters in trial subsets aged 65-74 years and 75 years or older. The European Medicines Agency recommends dose selection be based on pharmacokinetic studies in the elderly whenever the disease prevalence is higher or medical/clinical management significantly differs from adult populations. Thorough geriatric evaluation and labelling have become especially crucial as medicine usage continues rising among older populations around the world.
Challenges and Opportunities in Global Geriatric Markets
While awareness of geriatrics is growing, developing effective medicines and care models targeting the unique needs of aging populations still faces challenges worldwide. Limited availability of age-disaggregated healthcare data in many nations hampers robust clinical evaluation in elderly subpopulations. Ensuring adequate representation of seniors, including very elderly subgroups aged 80 years and over, in global multi-regional clinical trials requires concerted efforts. Healthcare systems across regions also differ markedly in modes of implementing geriatric services and in reimbursement approaches for innovative geriatric therapeutics. However, the rising demands of aging societies also represent tremendous commercial prospects. According to one industry report, over thirty percent of global medicine spending by 2022 will be related to geriatric conditions. With the numbers of older adults projected to nearly double worldwide by 2050, global markets for geriatric medications have massive potential for growth and innovation in the coming decades. Addressing the challenges of rapid population aging will require concerted international collaboration across biopharma companies, regulatory communities, care providers and policymakers. With a strong focus on patient-centered solutions tailored to the distinct needs of elderly populations worldwide, the industry is poised to help fulfill the promises of healthy aging for all.
Tags
Healthcare