Drugs of the Future for the Elderly conference

Drugs of the Future for the Elderly: Although the health of those over 65 in this country (UK) has never been better and the number of people reaching 85 is increasing year on year by more than 5 percent, ill health in the over 65s accounts for almost half the national spend on hospitals and community health. The objective of this conference is to bring together healthcare professionals, decision-makers and informed members of the public to discuss the rationale behind the development of new drugs and devices, the methods used to assess their effectiveness and safety and their availability through the health service. This high-profile event will focus on a number of areas of current concern to older citizens: dementia, Parkinsonism, visual and hearing loss, late onset diabetes, heart failure and the processes which, in effect, ration the availability of prescription medicines. The one-and-a-half-day conference will bring together specialist speakers from the pharmaceutical industry, clinicians and specialists in regulatory affairs, and will include an evening session open to the public which will focus on the principles and pressures governing the availability of prescription medicines for the elderly, and their ethical implications - 29-30 September, 2008 - Edinburgh, Scotland