Peripheral Arterial Disease Seen as a Major New Market for Drug and Interventional Therapies, According to an Analysis Published by THE SAGE GROUP
ATLANTA, May 21, 2003 (BUSINESS WIRE)—The prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in the U.S. is much higher than commonly cited figures of 8-12 million. A new study published by THE SAGE GROUP found that 14 million people in the U.S. had PAD in 2000. With the ageing population, this number is projected to exceed 22 million by 2020.
“These estimates are conservative, by analyzing specific high-risk groups such as diabetics, a strong case can be made for considerably higher numbers now and in the future,” stated Mary L. Yost, President of THE SAGE GROUP.
“PAD is significantly underestimated, underdiagnosed and undertreated,” continued Yost. “However, this is about to change and PAD will be recognized as a major and growing health and economic problem, as well as an important market opportunity for pharmaceutical and medical device companies.”
According to Yost, “A number of catalysts are converging that are expected to transform PAD from a misunderstood and ignored orphan of medicine to a hot topic in health care.” These include ongoing education, awareness and screening programs such as those sponsored by Legs for Life® and the Vascular Disease Foundation.
“Of major importance,” stated Yost “is the fact that a broad coalition of national professional vascular societies, the Vascular Disease Foundation and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health are developing a national awareness campaign regarding the diagnosis and treatment of PAD.”
“Advances in the basic knowledge of the atherosclerotic process in the lower limbs, an improved understanding of peripheral disease, as well as developments in the cardiovascular arena, are fueling a wave of technological innovation,” contends Yost. “There are a number of promising new treatments in clinical trials.
All of this is expected to be good news for the millions who suffer from the pain and cramping of claudication or from the more subtle symptoms of muscle weakness, poor balance and instability, which can result in impaired mobility and inability to work or perform the daily tasks of living.
PAD is characterized by a reduction of blood flow to the lower limbs due to atherosclerosis, commonly called hardening of the arteries. Atherosclerosis is a disease in which the walls of the arteries thicken and harden as a result of the build-up of fatty deposits (plaque) on their inner lining. This is the same process that occurs in coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular disease.
Although the most commonly recognized symptom is intermittent claudication (IC) or pain in the leg when walking which disappears at rest, one of the misconceptions is that IC is synonymous with PAD and that all PAD patients experience this symptom. According Yost, “In reality, only a small percentage actually suffer from claudication. Lack of knowledge regarding IC is one of several reasons that the disease is often not diagnosed, or that the symptoms are dismissed as part of ‘getting older’.”
“Another misconception is that PAD is a male disease,” continued Yost. “Unfortunately for women, this is incorrect. A number of recent studies have shown that PAD is as common in women as in men. However, in women the symptoms are different. Women tend to have the more subtle symptoms of decreased leg strength, instability and impaired mobility rather than IC.”
PAD is not just a leg problem. PAD is a marker for severe systemic atherosclerosis as evidenced by the high morbidity and mortality. Research has shown that within 5 years approximately 50% will experience a cardiovascular event (defined as a heart attack or stroke) and 30% of these will be fatal. This 5-year mortality rate is higher than that of breast cancer, coronary artery disease and stroke. Both morbidity and mortality increase with the severity of the disease.
The three-volume Peripheral Arterial Disease report focuses on lower extremity peripheral arterial disease, or disease located in, or below the lower aorta and the iliac arteries. Together these three volumes are intended to provide institutional money managers and industry executives with a comprehensive analysis of the disease, prevalence, current treatments, new technologies and company participants.
Volume I analyzes the disease, symptoms and consequences and risk factors. Detailed estimates of prevalence and the percentage of patients diagnosed and treated are provided. Pharmaceutical treatments are discussed by therapeutic category and PAD market estimates are provided for each for the years 2000, 2002 and through 2020. Information and financial data is included for the 26 companies with products currently marketed in the U.S.
Volume II, expected to be available by mid-2003, analyzes the U.S. PAD market for interventional therapies. Information and financial data is provided for over 50 company participants. New catheter-based technologies and pharmaceutical approaches, including angiogenesis, are the subjects of Volume III. The preliminary list of companies exceeds 30.
About THE SAGE GROUP
THE SAGE GROUP, an independent research and consulting company, specializes in atherosclerotic disease in the lower limbs, specifically PAD (Peripheral Arterial Disease), CLI (Critical Limb Ischemia) and ALI (Acute Limb Ischemia).
For additional information visit www.thesagegroup.us.
SOURCE: THE SAGE GROUP