Record Investments in Drug Development, but Significantly Fewer Studies

"Current statistics show that the number of clinical studies is declining across Europe and is also noticeable in Austria with a decrease of more than ten percent. At the same time, massive investments have been and are being made in clinical research in the USA and China," reported FOPI President Leif Moll according to the press release. The right framework conditions are needed for drug research, he emphasized. "Therefore, the consistent development of an Austrian life science and pharmaceutical strategy is urgently needed."

Antibiotic Resistance as a "Silent Pandemic"

However, the output of medical-pharmaceutical research is still remarkable. The 38 therapies approved in 2024 were developed for a wide range of indications. Nearly a third are in oncology, 13 percent are immunomodulatory therapeutics that specifically dampen the immune system to treat autoimmune diseases, for example. Five percent are new vaccines, and the large remaining portion consists of drugs for various therapeutic areas such as diabetes, hemophilia, ulcerative colitis, or myasthenia gravis.

"Particularly noteworthy among them is a new breast cancer drug that is used for common forms of breast cancer when standard therapies no longer work," explained Günter Waxenecker, head of the medical market supervision division at AGES. In 2024, AGES was involved 19 times as a rapporteur, four times as a co-rapporteur, and five times in multinational review teams in the central approval process. This is the highest participation in European approval procedures ever, Waxenecker was pleased to report.

Heinz Burgmann, infectious disease specialist and head of the Department of Internal Medicine I at MedUni/AKH Vienna, emphasized the importance of innovative drugs using the example of antibiotics: "Antibiotic resistance is among the ten greatest threats to public health. Experts even speak of a 'silent pandemic.' It is estimated that approximately 35,800 people in Europe and around 1.27 million people worldwide die annually from infections with resistant bacteria. This number will rise to ten million worldwide by 2050. In addition to the responsible use of antibiotics, there is therefore an urgent need for new effective antibiotics."

(APA/Red.)

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