ABSTRACT
Beginning in the 1970s, the biopharmaceutical industry began impacting the way society experienced disease and started playing an active role in patient care and human life. Since the 1970s, the industry has introduced new, effective drugs that have improved the treatment of major diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, depression, and diabetes mellitus. In the United States, treatment of knee osteoarthritis often includes knee replacement surgeries, covered by Medicare and Medicaid, which have provided cash flow for biopharmaceutical companies. Increased longevity is also attributed to the biopharmaceutical industry's contribution to unforgettable epidemic infectious disease breakouts including AIDS, SARS, Ebola, and Zika. Further, mental health care and prescription painkiller addiction are pressing issues with economic repercussions to both federal and local US governments. Another pharmaceutical industry contribution is the improvement of mental health and the increased social awareness of its significance in society.
