Creating medicines to treat pain and inflammation Photo by Steve Marsel
by Russell Herndon President & CEO Hydra Biosciences
Individuals 65 years and older represented 12.4% of the population in the year 2000 but are expected to grow to be 19% of the population by 2030. Along with this aging population come diseases of aging and their associated symptoms. Pain is a large unmet medical need in this group of individuals due, in a large part, to side effects associated with current treatment modalities.
Opiods represent the largest product class used to treat acute and chronic pain conditions. The use of opioids, such as Oxycontin, and Vicodin are common forms of treatment for severe pain, and is accompanied by unwanted side-effects that compromise patient comfort, productivity, and provide the potential for addiction. In 2001, 4% of Americans had used opioids for non-medical purposes. 60% of opioid abusers hold prescriptions for opioids. Direct care health costs for abusers are 8-times higher than non-abusers and equate to a loss of productivity in the work place. Hydra Biosciences’ goal is to develop a non-opioid, small molecule drugs for the treatment of pain that would be non-addictive and non-sedative. Our work represents first-in-class non-opioid therapeutics with a novel mechanism of action.
Guest blogger Russell Herndon is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hydra Biosciences. Mr. Herndon received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Barton College and is a graduate of the Management Development Program at Harvard Business School. Mr. Herndon came to Hydra with over 25 years of experience in the healthcare and biotechnology industries, with a proven track record in building successful business infrastructures, pioneering innovative corporate and regulatory processes and advancing products through development. His industry experience includes senior management positions at Genzyme Corporation and Antigenics Inc., where he led some of the companies’ most strategic and important initiatives.
Special thanks for the incredible retouching of Mr. James Eves, Photograph by Steve Marsel
Visit Steve Marsel’s other sites: Steve Marsel Studio, the assignment site and flagship site of the Steve Marsel brand, Steve Marsel Stock, the rights managed digital stock library of Steve Marsel Studio, Steve Marsel Galleries, the private gallery site of the Steve Marsel Studio. Visit one of Boston Photographer Steve Marsel’s other blogs as well: Steve Marsel Studio Blog , the creative blog of the Steve Marsel Studio. Steve Marsel Galleries Blog, Steve Marsel’s blog that discusses the stories behind the photographs, and Steve Marsel Stock Blog, the blog of Steve Marsel’s rights managed digital stock photography library that discusses the stories behind the images on the www.showerheadly.com site.
