The healthcare cost of one packet of cigarettes is as high as $40, according to a leading pharmaceutical industry analyst.
G. Steven Burrill, Chief Executive Officer, Burrill & Company, speaking at the Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Middle East (PABME) exhibition and conference yesterday (27 April 2008) identified wellness programmes to reduce health risks as a major growth area for the future.
“The time has come for wellness,” Burrill added. Rising healthcare costs, increasing incidence of chronic disease and recognition of the importance of genetic variation are driving factors.
He pointed out that 30 to 60% of health insurance claims in the US are related to health risks modifiable by nutrition, exercise and stress reduction. “For example, the healthcare cost of smoking over a lifetime is estimated at $220,000 per person – the equivalent of $40 per pack of cigarettes smoked.” Burrill said.
About PABME and IIR Middle East
Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Middle East is organised by IIR Middle East, the name behind the region's largest and the world's second largest healthcare exhibition and congress – Arab Health.
As the region's leading event organisers, IIR Middle East manages a portfolio of more than 300 conferences, seminars and training courses along with over 20 industry leading international trade and consumer exhibitions in the UAE.
