Record number of diabetes drugs in pipeline, PhRMA says

RALEIGH, N.C. A record number of drugs for treating diabetes are in the development pipeline, according to a report by an organization representing the nation’s drug makers.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America released a report Tuesday showing that pharmaceutical and biotech companies are testing 183 new diabetes medicines, all of them undergoing clinical trials or awaiting approval by the Food and Drug Administration.

PhRMA released the report in North Carolina at a press conference featuring former “Leave it to Beaver” actor and diabetic Jerry Mathers in light of the state’s high rate of diabetes.

“We released this report in North Carolina because of the alarming rise in the number of new cases of diabetes in the state,” PhRMA SVP Ken Johnson said. “Unfortunately, these rising numbers reflect what is occurring nationwide.”

According to the North Carolina Diabetes Advisory Council, about 547,000 people in the state have the disease, the 10th highest rate of prevalence in the country, in addition to 300,000 people with pre-diabetes.