R&D Spending by U.S. Biopharmaceutical Companies Increases 3 Percent in 2008

12-Mar-2009 - USA

New statistics just released reveal that R&D investment in new medicines by the biopharmaceutical industry was $65.2 billion in 2008, an increase of 3 percent from 2007, according to a combined analysis conducted by Burrill & Company and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).

PhRMA-member companies alone spent an estimated $50.3 billion on pharmaceutical R&D last year - up 5 percent from the 2007 total of $47.9 billion in 2007, according to a PhRMA survey. The Burrill & Company analysis shows that non-PhRMA pharmaceutical research companies in the United States spent an estimated $14.9 billion on R&D last year, compared with $15.3 billion in 2007.

"This is the fifth year that we have joined with PhRMA to report industry-wide biopharmaceutical research and development expenditures," said G. Steven Burrill, CEO of Burrill & Company. "The growth in R&D investment shows the industry's commitment to support important advances in better medicines and new treatments for patients made by research scientists and physicians."

"America's biopharmaceutical companies are not immune to the challenges presented by our current economic crisis," said PhRMA President and CEO Billy Tauzin. "However, the important work that we do every day in the battle with disease cannot stop. The U.S. is the world's hotbed of medical innovation, and throughout the country, we remain committed today to finding tomorrow's cures, despite the incredible challenges that are posed by the current economy."

Record investment in R&D is leading America's pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies toward record levels of clinical testing of new medicines. Today, there are more than 2,900 medicines in development in the U.S., including 750 compounds in development for cancer, 312 for heart disease and stroke, 150 for diabetes, 109 for HIV/AIDS and 91 for Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

"As we look toward the future of health care in America, we must remember that the incredible progress we make every day in research and development will be wasted if patients don't have access to our life-saving medicines," said Tauzin. "That's why we're committed to working toward comprehensive health care reform that offers health coverage to all Americans."

https://www.analytica-world.com/en/news/98167/r-d-spending-by-u-s-biopharmaceutical-companies-increases-3-percent-in-2008.html