Demographics in the 2020s—Longevity as a challenge for pharmaceutical drug development prescribing dispensing patient care and quality of life

摘要

The global increase in life expectancy is unquestionably a unique achievement of growing wealth, improved hygienic standards and advances in the provision of healthcare services realizing a declining mortality in acute and chronic diseases through diagnostics, surgery, pharmacotherapy and other interventions. However, increasing life expectancy does not come without new challenges for effective patient care, whereas these challenges in turn may provide opportunities for developing new concepts further supporting longevity and quality of life. Following a conference of experts from different disciplines in Graz (Austria) on November 7–8, 2017, entitled “Medicines for older adults: getting prepared for the scientific and regulator revolutions,” this themed issue was born to provide insights to a wider audience of stakeholders into the complexity, but also the opportunity, of senior adapted, that is, senior friendly patient care. The themed issue is dedicated to an interdisciplinary review of the challenges of prescribing and dispensing medicines to older people as well as the difficulties that older and multimorbid patients may face when managing their medication regimens. It further includes a review of emerging technologies that might better serve the needs of future patient populations and is complemented by the progress in regulation on frailty and the pharmaceutical development of medicines for older people.