The pharmaceutical industry is stepping up its fight against mental illness with the development of 160 drugs.

Mental health problems are considered one of the epidemics of the 21st century, and their numbers are only increasing. Globally, there was a 48.1 percent increase in mental disorders between 1990 and 2019, according to a study published in The Lancet and included in Weber’s The Social Value of Medicine 2024 report. Foundation. For this reason, The pharmaceutical industry is committed to addressing mental health issues and is currently developing more than 160 drugs for mental illness.. The drugs being studied include 54 for depression, 35 for schizophrenia, 35 for anxiety disorders and 13 for bipolar disorders.

In Spain, one in three people suffers from mental health problems, with this proportion rising to 40 percent among people over 50 and half among people over 85.. The most common disorders are anxiety disorders, sleep disorders and depressive disorders, as reflected in the National Health System (NHS) Annual Report prepared by the Department of Health. Anxiety disorders affect 10 percent of the population, but twice as many women (14 percent) as men (7 percent). In a country that has positioned itself in recent years as one of the world leaders in clinical research, almost 80 percent of research into this type of condition is funded by industry.

The theme chosen for this year’s World Mental Health Day is “Work and mental health – the fundamental connection.” Advocates for improving working conditions and eliminating instability.because it is a risk factor for psychological discomfort. “The value of medicines targeting mental health problems is well known,” explains Arancia Sancho, director of medical and scientific research at Farmaidustria. However, he clarified that “as with other pathologies, efforts should focus on prevention and health promotion, as well as early diagnosis.” Now that pharmacological treatment is recognized as necessary as part of a comprehensive approach to health, he acknowledged that it is “equally important to ensure that these medicines are used responsibly so that their value is maximized.” “This good and proper use requires the commitment of all agents, including healthcare managers, industry representatives, healthcare professionals and patients,” he explained.

Depression and other mental illnesses have increased in prevalence and recognition. especially during the pandemic, with the result that they have become an increasingly significant proportion of research into these pathologies.. However, depression trials starting in 2023 were 25 percent lower than before the pandemic. The paper shows that clinical trials of depression accounted for 9 percent of active trials in neuroscience between 2019 and 2023, with the most representative segment being major depressive disorders, comprising 40 percent of trials initiated in 2023.

Research into treatment-resistant depression has ranged from the use of innovative treatments such as ketamine (a psychedelic) and deep brain stimulation (DBS) to the recent discovery of a biomarker that serves as an indicator for assessing recovery in the disease. At the moment, focuses on a variety of new mechanisms such as serotonergic psychedelics, kappa opioids, NMDA psychedelics, and neuroactive steroids.which together account for nearly 58 percent of 2023 clinical trials. While psychedelics accounted for just over 15 percent of trials launched last year, their share has grown, reaching 24 percent of trials in 2023. Recent advances include the potential of non-hallucinogenic substances. serotonergic psychedelics have been identified, accounting for nearly 32 percent of active research in 2023.

Social burden of mental illness

Mental disorders cause changes in the thinking, perceptions, behavior and emotions of those who suffer from them.. Symptoms that have a major impact on personal and work relationships, having a very significant negative impact on the quality of life of the affected people.

“This is why medicines have a high social value in these diseases, since they improve the quality of life of patients and, consequently, their family and social environment.who suffer the health, labor and economic burden associated with this important health issue, which often affects the most vulnerable populations,” said Sancho. Moreover, the consequences, as well as the prevalence of these problems, are growing, and in 2023 Spain broke a record for the number of sick leave related to “mental and behavioral disorders” (classified as such by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration). last year there were almost 600,000.

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