2024 may well be the most challenging year yet for the US healthcare industry. Our research reveals five overarching trends likely to have the strongest impact on the industry and improving the health of Americans for the months and years ahead.
TREND 1—Alarming declines in physical health
Despite all the gains technology and research have offered, Americans’ health is still in decline as evidenced by these measures:
- A 3% increase in the infant mortality rate for the United States in 2022. This is the first year-to-year increase since 2002. Increases were seen across a number of races and nationalities.1
- Tripled obesity measures over the past 60 years. Surveys reveal that 43% of Americans are considered obese, with 10% considered morbidly obese.2
- A “shocking” life-expectancy decline. Young Americans die at higher rates than in other high-income countries. Maternal and infant mortality rates are among the highest for comparable-income countries, as well.3
- Early-onset cancers in adults under 50 years of age have dramatically risen. Possible factors in the 30-year trend include alcohol consumption, sleep deprivation, and altered microbes.4
- A surge in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia are among those contributing to the 7% increase in cases in 2021.5
- An increase in deaths globally related to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). One in 5 occurred in children under the age of 5. Most of the 77 new antibacterial treatments in clinical development are derivatives of existing classes with established mechanisms of drug resistance.6
The challenges to the industry are clear. Declining measures highlight that despite our great advances in specific disease states and areas, there are large areas of concern that negatively impact our overall success and may even compromise our gains in specific applications. Addressing these issues and additional education may be key to further achievement in all areas.
Over the next several posts, we’ll review what ICON considers the other 4 significant trends most likely to have significant impact on the US healthcare industry in 2024.
If you are ready to begin leveraging ICON’s experience to enhance your 2024 efforts, click here to send us an email or RFP.
![US Healthcare trends_1170x460_1_opt2 (1) US Healthcare trends_1170x460_1_opt2 (1)](https://icon.widen.net/content/4nfcdkhnjs/original/US-Healthcare-trends_1170x460_1_opt2-1.jpg?u=z8skf3)
Blog references:
1 Hagen C. November 1, 2023. Accessed December 6, 2023.
2 USA Facts team. April 26, 2023. Accessed December 6, 2023.
3 Harvard, TH Chan School of Public Health. April 13, 2023. Accessed December 6, 2023.
4 Sampson K. September 8, 2022. Accessed December 6, 2023.
5 Murez C. April 11, 2023. Accessed December 6, 2023.
6 Global AMR R&D Hub and WHO. 2023. Accessed December 6, 2023.
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Digital Disruption
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Clinical trial data anonymisation and data sharing
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Clinical Trial Tokenisation
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Closing the evidence gap: The value of digital health technologies in supporting drug reimbursement decisions
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Digital disruption in biopharma
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Disruptive Innovation
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Personalising Digital Health
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The triad of trust: Navigating real-world healthcare data integration
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Patient Centricity
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Agile Clinical Monitoring
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Capturing the voice of the patient in clinical trials
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Charting the Managed Access Program Landscape
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Developing Nurse-Centric Medical Communications
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Exploring the patient perspective from different angles
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Patient safety and pharmacovigilance
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A guide to safety data migrations
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Taking safety reporting to the next level with automation
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Outsourced Pharmacovigilance Affiliate Solution
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The evolution of the Pharmacovigilance System Master File: Benefits, challenges, and opportunities
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Sponsor and CRO pharmacovigilance and safety alliances
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Understanding the Periodic Benefit-Risk Evaluation Report
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A guide to safety data migrations
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Patient voice survey
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Patient Voice Survey - Decentralised and Hybrid Trials
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Reimagining Patient-Centricity with the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)
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Using longitudinal qualitative research to capture the patient voice
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Agile Clinical Monitoring
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Regulatory Intelligence
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An innovative approach to rare disease clinical development
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Using innovative tools and lean writing processes to accelerate regulatory document writing
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Current overview of data sharing within clinical trial transparency
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Global Agency Meetings: A collaborative approach to drug development
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Keeping the end in mind: key considerations for creating plain language summaries
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Navigating orphan drug development from early phase to marketing authorisation
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Procedural and regulatory know-how for China biotechs in the EU
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RACE for Children Act
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Early engagement and regulatory considerations for biotech
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Requirements & strategy considerations within clinical trial transparency
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Spotlight on regulatory reforms in China
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Transfer of marketing authorisation
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Crossing the finish line: Why effective participation support strategy is critical to trial efficiency and success in rare diseases
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Identify and mitigate risks to rare disease clinical programmes
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Patient Centricity in Orphan Drug Development
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Ensuring the validity of clinical outcomes assessment (COA) data: The value of rater training
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Decentralised clinical trials
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Biopharma perspective: the promise of decentralised models and diversity in clinical trials
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Decentralised and Hybrid clinical trials
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Practical considerations in transitioning to hybrid or decentralised clinical trials
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Navigating the regulatory labyrinth of technology in decentralised clinical trials
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Biopharma perspective: the promise of decentralised models and diversity in clinical trials
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eCOA implementation
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Implications of COVID-19 on statistical design and analyses of clinical studies
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Improving pharma R&D efficiency
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Increasing Complexity and Declining ROI in Drug Development
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Innovation in Clinical Trial Methodologies
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Transforming the R&D Model to Sustain Growth
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CMS Part D Price Negotiations: Is your drug on the list?
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Evidence Synthesis: A solution to sparse evidence, heterogeneous studies, and disconnected networks
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Payer Reliance on ICER and Perceptions on Value Based Pricing
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Payers Perspectives on Digital Therapeutics
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RWE Generation Cross Sectional Studies and Medical Chart Review
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Survey results: How to engage healthcare decision-makers
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Strategies for commercialising oncology treatments for young adults
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