UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH), Aetna Inc. (AET): The Eight Biggest Health Problems Americans Face

6. Heart disease
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., but comes in only at sixth place from the perspective of Americans according to the Gallup survey. Studies show that the most common type of heart disease, coronary heart disease, results in more than 385,000 deaths annually and costs nearly $109 billion.

7. Diabetes
More than 25 million Americans battle diabetes, so it’s no surprise that the disease placed among the top health concerns. Diabetes contributes to many other health problems, including kidney disease, heart disease, stroke, and blindness.

As with several other health issues, there is some good news. For example, the Food and Drug Administration recently approved Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)‘s  Invokana for type 2 diabetes. The drug controls blood sugar through a different mechanism than other available treatments.

Although there are plenty of diabetes drugs available, many think Invokana’s unique approach will make it successful for patients and for Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ). Analysts expect the drug will attain sales of around $468 million by 2016.

8. AIDS
The CDC estimates that more than 15,500 Americans died from AIDS in 2010. There’s good news on this front also in the U.S. and across the world. The United Nations AIDS Program says that death rates have declined as access to medications become more readily available.

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) stands as the leading maker of these medications. The biotech’s Atripla is currently the most-used HIV drug. Atripla garnered $3.57 billion in revenue in 2012, up 11% from the prior year. Gilead obtained FDA approval recently for a new treatment, Stribild, which combines four of its drugs into one pill.

Even with the progress, some roadblocks have been encountered in the battle against AIDS. Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) attempted to obtain separate regulatory approval for two of the drugs included in Stribild — elvitegravir and cobicistat. However, the FDA announced it would not approve the drugs in April due to concerns about documentation and quality testing procedures. Gilead is working to address these issues.

Looking for answers
Thankfully, progress is being made on several of these problems. However, much work remains to be done.

The article The 8 Biggest Health Problems Americans Face originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Keith Speights.

Fool contributor Keith Speights has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Gilead Sciences and UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH). It recommends and owns shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ).

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