Obesity market grows – waistlines continue to expand March 25, 2008

 Working in the healthcare publishing industry, it is important to be abreast of developing trends in the pharmaceutical market. The research firm Decision Resources recently reported that the market for obesity drugs will grow five-fold — to $2.7 billion — by 2016 (http://www.mmm-online.com/Obesity-market-set-for-explosive-growth-says-report/article/108301/). Growth is predicted to be most rapid in the US, but is also projected in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Japan.

The growth in the market is of course a direct result of new drugs being developed. In fact, the report predicts that 80% of the market will switch to using these new therapies, including Arena Pharmaceuticals’ lorcaserin and Amylin’s pramlintide/leptin combo.

“Given the high prevalence of obesity in the world’s major pharmaceutical markets, the opportunity for agents that fulfill the need for safe, effective and well-tolerated weight loss therapies is significant,” said Donny Wong, PhD., principal analyst at Decision Resources. Everyone is always going to be looking for a quick fix, be it for weight loss, clearing their skin, or changing a light bulb. But healthy, maintainable weight loss will never be achieved through these means. Instead I think we need to pay attention to the simple equation: eat less + exercise more = weigh less. We no doubt face obstacles — mainly the increasingly stressed out, sedentary US lifestyle and the abundance of cheap, high-calorie foods — but with education and dedication we may be able to see a more long-term effect.

The male birth control pill – soon to be a reality March 25, 2008

Most everyone of child-bearing age is familiar with the female birth control pill (PCB), which prevents ovulation using a combination of hormones (usually estrogen and/or progestin) that suppress gonadotropin release.

According to a new study accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, researchers are now a step closer toward developing a BCP for men (http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/538887/?sc=rsmn). The pill relies on a combination of testosterone and progestin to suppress the sperm output to concentrations equivalent to that after a vasectomy.

An analysis of studies conducted on men using varying concentrations of testosterone and progestin showed that the combination of the two hormones supressed sperm production more than testosterone alone. The mechanism of this is basically a negative feedback loop that occurs in the reproductive system; hormone levels are risen artificially by the hormone in the pill, which then shuts down further production of sperm. Though more research needs to be done to find the most effective combination of hormones, it seems that a male BCP is not far from reality.