Innovative pharmaceutical companies are discovering and developing new medicinal products that are to fight previously incurable diseases, to prolong life expectancy and to improve the lives of patients. Below we briefly present 10 diseases whose treatment, and not only innovative treatment, has made tremendous progress.
TREATMENT PROGRESS
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Czech women. Over 7,000 new cases are detected in our country every year. Prevention, innovative procedures and medicinal products have helped to prolong the lives and to improve the comfort of patients.
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. It mostly affects young adults, more commonly women. Prior to the arrival of the first biologicals at the end of the last century, MS had led to disability and the premature death of most patients. New medicinal products help slow the progression of the disease and many patients can live a (practically) normal life.
Colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer, also known as colon and rectal cancer, is one of the second most common cancers in men and women in the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic has the highest incidence of colorectal cancer among European countries. Thanks to progress in research and the availability of modern therapeutic and diagnostic methods, this disease is usually diagnosed early. Patients live longer and the treatment has a positive overall impact on the quality of their life.
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. It occurs in about one in nine men. Current treatment offers a better quality of life and a chance to be completely cured. Nowadays more tumors are diagnosed than before and moreover at a stage where the cancer is curable. Targeted hormone therapy can slow the progression of the disease and affects the patient's life only very little.
Chronic myeloid leukemia
In the Czech Republic, 150 to 200 new patients are diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) every year. It is a rare malignant disease that is caused by a disorder of bone marrow stem cells and manifested by the abnormal growth of white blood cells. Healthy bone marrow is gradually pushed out and the decrease in the production of healthy blood cells leads to the collapse of the hematopoietic system.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
There are approximately 700,000 people in the Czech Republic who suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), yet only 250,000 people are treated. This makes COPD one of the most “underdiagnosed” diseases that was once considered irreversible. However, modern medicinal products have changed this – patients who receive early treatment no longer deal with chronic dyspnea, and the quality of their lives has significantly improved.
Idiopathic intestinal inflammation
More and more people in developed countries, and more and more young people, even infants, suffer from chronic intestinal inflammation, also known as Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD). There were over 56,000 patients with IBD in the Czech Republic in 2018. Thanks to highly innovative medicinal products, the quality of life for these patients has significantly improved and mortality has considerably decreased.
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory (autoimmune) disease that affects the musculoskeletal system but can also affect other organs, such as the eyes, heart and lungs. In the Czech Republic, approximately 91,000 patients, mostly women, suffer from this disease. In recent years, there has been tremendous progress in terms of treatment options - patients have more accessible and comfortable treatment. Thanks to the early start of biological therapy, they can live a full life and work longer.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus
Diabetes is one of the most widespread diseases worldwide. The Czech Republic is one of the countries with the highest number of patients in Europe. It has been estimated that there will be approximately 1.3 million diabetics in the Czech Republic in 2030. The most common type is type 2 diabetes, which in 85% of cases usually occurs in adulthood. Type 1 diabetes starts in childhood and must be treated with insulin.
Human papillomavirus
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a group of viruses that attack human skin and mucosal cells and cause serious cancer in both women and men. Although it is possible to effectively prevent this cancer by vaccination paid by health insurance companies, the vaccination coverage rate in the Czech Republic is declining.
