Women's health has come roaring out of the maternity ward and into the mainstream. According to Freda Lewis-Hall, M.D., a pharmaceutical company researcher, the new definition of women's health is not only broader but deeper. The revolution in women's health research has already brought dramatic improvements in women's lives. Although they live an average of six to seven years longer than men, women are more susceptible to a number of chronic diseases and more likely to experience illness and disability. In other words, companies are looking at both the similarities and differences in men and women in how they get diseases and how they react to medicines.
Heart disease is a good example of gender-based differences.
The leading killer of both men and women, heart disease develops later in women. Women diagnosed with heart disease are typically 10 years older and sicker than men, often show different symptoms, and may be treated less aggressively. Pharmaceutical companies are currently testing 80 new medicines for heart disease with special attention to how the medicines work in women. Women are also benefiting from the revolution in research techniques that is enabling companies to discover and develop more effective and targeted medicines. Many of the medicines currently in the pipeline for women attack diseases in novel ways.