I had never heard about the drug category called "aging medications." However, I could see why it would be of interest to the pharmaceutical industry given current demographic trends. It turns out that this group of drugs now outsells those prescribed for for common chronic diseases such as diabetes. The details were included in a recent article (see: Aging medications cost more than most chronic disease treatments). Here is an excerpt of it:
Aging medications cost more than most chronic disease treatments. The cost of searching for the fountain of youth has become increasingly expensive and now exceeds the cost for medications used to treat chronic disease, according to new research....The research suggests that cost and utilization of medications to treat conditions considered a normal part of aging, including those related to hormone replacement therapy, sexual dysfunction and mental alertness, are becoming so popular that they now rank third for cost impact only behind diabetes and cholesterol among commercially insured patients. Researchers at Express Scripts in St. Louis looked at trends in prescriptions filled for aging medications among those commercially insured and found that in 2011 alone, per member cost for aging medications ($73.30) was 16 percent greater than the amount spent on both high blood pressure and heart disease medications ($62.80). The cost for diabetes medications was $81.12 and high cholesterol medications was $78.38. The cost for aging medications increased 46 percent from 2006. Between 2007 and 2011, utilization among Medicare beneficiaries for these conditions increased 32 percent. Utilization increased by 18.5 percent among the commercially insured.
This article prompted me to do a brief review of drugs that are now being tested for Alzheimer's disease (see: Brain Plaque Diagnostic Imaging Procedure Approved by FDA). I came across the following snippet that may be of interest (see: Can a Pill Make You Smarter?):
Phenserine [which is undergoing clinical trials in Europe but not available in the U.S.], as well as the drugs Aricept and Exelon, which are already on the market, work by increasing the level of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that is deficient in people with the disease. A neurotransmitter is a chemical that allows communication between nerve cells in the brain. In people with Alzheimer's disease, many brain cells have died, so the hope is to get the most out of those that remain by flooding the brain with acetylcholine.
This article was somewhat misleading, equating aging medications with the "search for the fountain of youth." Aging medications are those use for hormone replacement, sexual dysfunction, and mental alertness. I will readily admit the the first two in this list have a lifestyle vibe but the last not so much. However and in general, I suspect that aging medications will soon surpass those of any other drug category, at least in the U.S.