ARTHRITIS - GROWING HEALTH PROBLEM
According to the Center of Disease Control, arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States. The CDC has found that each year, arthritis impacts the United States with 9,500 deaths and 750,000 hospitalizations. 49 million people have a self-reported, doctor-diagnosed arthritis, and for eight million of them, arthritis limits their everyday activities such as walking, dressing and bathing. The total cost for the economy is estimated to be $128 billion, or which $51 billion is spent on medical costs alone.
The number of Americans with arthritis or chronic joint symptoms has steadily increased from 37.9 million in 1990 to 48 million in 2007 (nearly 1 in 5 adults). By 2030, 20 percent of Americans - about 70 million people - will have passed their 65th birthday and will be at risk for osteoarthritis. Younger people get osteoarthritis from joint injuries, but osteoarthritis most often occurs in older people.
Public Health and Aging
Arthritis and other rheumatic conditions are among the most common chronic diseases, affecting 70 million U.S. adults in 2001, and comprise the leading cause of disability among U.S. adults. Arthritis prevalence increases with age, affecting approximately 60% of the U.S. population over 65 years old. As a result of better identification and treatment of other chronic diseases and lower mortality from infectious diseases, U.S. adults are living longer, and the U.S. population is aging. For this reason, the number of persons living with nonfatal but disabling conditions such as arthritis or chronic joint symptoms (CJS) might be increasing. To estimate the projected future burden of arthritis or CJS among persons of 65 years or older, CDC applied data from the 2001 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to projected national population data for 2005-2030. If arthritis prevalence rates remain stable, the number of affected persons over 65 years will nearly double by 2030.
Unmet Clinical Need and Market Today
Twenty one million Americans live with osteoarthritis with an estimated annual economic cost of $65 billion. Nearly 3 million of these patients are between the ages of 40 and 65. For the 850,000 of these patients that have activity limiting arthritis and have failed medical management, total hip replacement is not a viable option for the following reason -since these patients are young and more likely to lead active life they will most definitely need a revision surgery in the next 15-20 yrs. A revision surgery is associated with significant complications and demonstrating efficacy. At the risk of bankrupting the entire healthcare system, new therapeutic options and dietary approaches are critical to ameliorate the unquestionable enormous cost of surgical interventions.
The current United States market potential for rheumatoid arthritis therapeutics is approximately $48.5 billion.