Slim Chance of Success? Drug Discovery for Metabolic Disorders

2 June 2009, London, United Kingdom

Introduction

Obesity, Diabetes and Dyslipidemia are growing health concerns in the developed world. However, the WHO recently reported that overweight and obesity are on the rise in all countries. If current trends continue, in the USA the cost of care for these diseases is expected to rise to more than 15% of the total health care budget by 2030. In the UK, two thirds of men and half of women are overweight. As well as suffering from these disorders, patients are at an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease, neuropathies, arthritis and some forms of cancer. This symposium is an opportunity for scientists in the field of metabolic disorders research to present and discuss the progress towards the discovery of new medicines and therapies for the treatment of these growing problems.