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Drug companies look to profit from DSM-5June 5, 2013, 8:42 a.m. EDTBinge eating and hoarding diagnoses may lead to new salesBy Jen WiecznerThe changes to the DSM-5, the updated manual of psychiatric illnesses released earlier this month, include 15 new mental disorders. Psychiatrists and consumer advocates hope that the new range of diagnoses will help more people find treatment for their suffering. But drug companies could also see a benefit: It’s likely that the changes will expand the demand for prescription medications that could treat these conditions.The DSM-5’s changes widen the treatment potential for several mental problems, including depression, premenstrual symptoms, binge eating and dementia. Pharmaceutical experts expect that the DSM-5’s legitimization and expansion of certain disorders will pave the way for companies to develop and sell more drugs to treat them, and increase FDA support for new medications.For some drugs, a sales impact could come even before the FDA specifically approves them to treat the new DSM-5 disorders. Doctors often prescribe drugs “off-label” to treat disorders, and broader recognition of the disorders could potentially boost sales of the drugs through those channels.Drug makers aren’t allowed to market medications for their off-label uses—indeed, doing so has resulted in costly fines for companies in the past. For now, most pharmaceutical companies are declining to discuss how the DSM-5 might create new uses for...

Source: PharmaGossip - June 6, 2013 Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: insider Source Type: blogs