CORDIS Express: Addressing the medical challenges of our time
Over the past 40 years, efficient drugs have revolutionised the treatment of many diseases and illnesses for millions of patients. We can now successfully treat heart attacks and high blood pressure and, using the correct course of drugs, many people with schizophrenia are able to live stable, independent lives. Patients with HIV have also experienced a dramatic change of life through drug treatment breakthroughs. And, while the fight against cancer continues, we should not forget the progress that has been made. For example, leukaemia was once a fatal disease and but now many patients recover from it with the help of anticancer drugs. Meanwhile, biological drugs are helping to treat illnesses as cystic fibrosis and asthma. These life-saving and life-enhancing drugs are available to patients thanks to the work of our researchers. Biomedical research alone now generates about half of all of Europe’s scientific publications and these represent the largest world share, ahead of the US. New research in Europe is enabling progress in particular in the areas of personalised medicines, orphan drugs and biologics. However gratifying the end results are, the research and development (R&D) process for drugs can be a long and expensive road. It can take up to 13 years to take a medicine from its origins as a molecule to a treatment with tangible benefits for patients. And, according to the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, in 2012, the cost of researching and developing a new chemical or biological entity was estimated at a staggering EUR 1 172 billion. There’s no doubt that answering the medical challenges of our time certainly involves dedication and investment. That’s why, during the first two years of Horizon 2020, the EU will invest some EUR 1.2 billion in research related to health, demographic change and wellbeing. It aims to keep older people active and independent for longer and supports the development of new, safer and more effective interventions. This edition of CORDIS Express takes a look at some recent news in this area and at the medical research projects already underway, in particular those focused on enhancing or developing new technology or drugs for treatment. - Trending science: New medication for drug-resistant tuberculosis(opens in new window) - Home-based rehabilitation for CVD patients(opens in new window) - Regulation on medical devices: 'Innovation and safety are the two sides of the same coin'(opens in new window) - A multidisciplinary approach to advancing drug development(opens in new window) - Why cancer drugs affect young children differently(opens in new window) - Potent multidrug pill for cardiovascular disease(opens in new window) - Challenging HIV drug resistance(opens in new window)
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Belgium