We may not consider depression a serious concern, but it’s a growing problem that physicians and researchers are finally beginning to tackle. There are numerous drugs approved to treat depression, but none have racked up larger worldwide sales than Bristol Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE:BMY)‘s Abilify,which doubles as an antipsychotic and brought in $5.2 billion in 2011 – good enough to be the fourth-best selling drug in the world. But Bristol Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE:BMY)’s Abilify will only be under patent protection until 2015, so researchers must continue looking for newer and more effective options. AstraZeneca plc (ADR) (NYSE:AZN)’s experimental AZD6765 may offer just that.
In trials conducted by the National Institutes of Health, AstraZeneca plc (ADR) (NYSE:AZN)’s AZD6765 provided incredibly quick relief for patients with depression symptoms who had tried previous medications but had no response. The effect lasted anywhere from 30 minutes to as long as two days in some patients. Unfortunately, only 32% of patients responded to the treatment, and its effects were much shorter-lasting than ketamine, which it was compared against. Still, these are the novel therapies with significant results that are currently under development and could help change the landscape of treating depression.
Anxiety disorders
The third subset of diseases that stress puts people at risk of developing, according to the National Institutes of Health, are anxiety disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
In OCD cases, people have unwanted thoughts, feelings, or sensations that drive them to take action. Once that action is taken it provides temporary relief, but any deviation from that routine can cause even more stress. The two most common treatments here — known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs — have long since gone to generic form. These would include Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE:LLY)‘s Prozac and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)’s Zoloft. At its peak, Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE:LLY)’s Prozac generated $2.6 billion in sales (a monstrous figure at the time) before going off patent in 2001.
Patients with panic disorder are crippled by panic attacks that begin suddenly and last for upwards of 20 minutes. Panic disorder is usually diagnosed in adulthood, and it’s diagnosed twice as much in women as in men. Most people who suffer from panic attacks will develop some mixture of dizziness, chest pain, heart palpitations, sweating, nausea, or trembling. Similar to OCD medications, generics of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)’s Zoloft, Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE:LLY)’s Prozac, and GlaxoSmithKline plc (ADR) (NYSE:GSK)‘s Paxil are commonly prescribed to treat panic disorder.
In cases of PTSD, the patient has trouble managing stress, which is often caused by being exposed to a traumatic event such as being in a war or being assaulted. The symptoms of PTSD can vary dramatically, from avoidance of the event altogether to agitation and excitability. For PTSD, psychological therapy known as desensitization — whereby a patient is encouraged to remember the event in the hope of getting them to express their emotions — is often effective, although SSRIs are sometimes still prescribed.
Just relax
Ultimately, some form of stress is inevitable. The key is how we react to that stress and whether we have a support group around us to help us manage our stress levels.
For those cases where talking simply isn’t enough, big pharmaceutical giants like Pfizer and AstraZeneca plc (ADR) (NYSE:AZN) have a stranglehold on the medications most often associated with stress-induced disorders. Perhaps the best way of reducing your stress could be by investing in stress symptom-relieving drug manufacturers like these, which are certain to benefit from a stressed-out society? But, that of course is up to you to decide.
The article The Top 3 Diseases Caused by Stress originally appeared on Fool.com is written by Sean Williams.
Fool contributor Sean Williams has no material interest in any companies mentioned in this article. You can follow him on CAPS under the screen name TMFUltraLong, track every pick he makes under the screen name TrackUltraLong, and check him out on Twitter, where he goes by the handle @TMFUltraLong.
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