The global pharmaceutical market is expected to grow from US$300 billion to US$400 billion over the next three years, according to the World Health Organization.1 While U.S. based companies play a major role in this industry, 85 percent of the market share is held by competitors in North and South America, Europe and Japan. Four out of the 10 most profitable pharmaceutical companies are headquartered in Europe, while six of the top companies are based in the United States.

Cancer still may be second fiddle to heart disease as the leading cause of death among all Americans. But for Hispanics in the U.S., it recently took the lead spot.

According to a recent study in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, researchers found that cancer caused 29,935 deaths among Hispanics of all ages in the U.S. That’s slightly higher than the 29,611 deaths caused by heart disease.

The U.S. Latino/Hispanic community is predisposed to type 2 diabetes and its relative health complications. However, new advances in health technology and research could improve diabetes management, and it could alter the course of the metabolic disorder.

By Raynald Samoa, MD

World Diabetes Day was November 14, just as a new report from the International Diabetes Federation put estimates of those around the world with the disease at 382 million people. In the United States, eight percent of the population, almost 26 million people, is living with diabetes – with another 79 million showing signs of being pre-diabetic.