Individualized therapies and the integration of the patient's perspective are becoming increasingly important.
Vienna, 20.02.2024. February 29 is Rare Disease Day. On this occasion, the Austrian pharmaceutical company AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals GmbH (AOP Health) takes a look at the challenges faced by patients with rare diseases and highlights the trends in their treatment.
With over 30 million Europeans affected, including 400.000 Austrians, rare diseases are becoming an increasingly pressing health issue. It is alarming that, as of yet, no specific therapy options exist for 95 percent of these diseases. AOP Health, specialized in the research and development of therapies for rare diseases as well as in intensive care, has been involved in this market segment for over 25 years, aiming to provide medical solutions for those affected.
Research is the key to new therapies
Extensive research programs are needed to create new treatment options. Currently, these are impossible without private initiatives. In Austria, 50.4 percent of all research is conducted by private companies1. In the field of drug development, this proportion is even higher because the approval or marketing of drugs is applied for or carried out exclusively by pharmaceutical and biotech companies. In order for new therapies to be developed, framework conditions that promote research and development are necessary, as Martin Steinhart, CEO of AOP Health, emphasizes: