America’s biopharmaceutical research companies currently are developing 119 novel new medicines to help improve the lives of the estimated 61.5 million Americans affected by mental health disorders, according to a new report by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).

These medicines in development—all either in clinical trials or under review by the FDA—include 36 for schizophrenia, 29 for depression, 20 for substance/addictive disorders, 15 for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and 15 for anxiety disorders.

Mental health conditions pose a heavy human and economic burden in the U.S. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), one in four American adults has been diagnosed with a mental health disorder, and serious mental illnesses cost the U.S. more than $317 billion annually in lost wages, healthcare expenditures and disability benefits.

“As our knowledge of the brain continues to expand, biopharmaceutical scientists are finding new, exciting ways to help patients facing depression, schizophrenia and many other disorders,” said John J. Castellani, PhRMA president and CEO. “The more than 100 medicines in development today represent tremendous hope for patients, our healthcare system and our economy.”

Sponsors, working in collaboration with academia, government researchers, patient organizations and others in the innovation ecosystem, are applying new scientific approaches and evolving knowledge of disease to bring new solutions to patients.

The array of innovative approaches being pursued includes:

• A medicine that may provide a broader spectrum of therapeutic activity for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• An intranasal medicine for treatment-resistant depression that may offer  a rapid onset of therapeutic effects
• A medicine for schizophrenia that potentially could result in fewer negative side effects than existing treatments.