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Highlights from the June 9th, 2004 conference
On June 9, at the Asia Society in New York City, North Castle Partners, the nation's leading private equity firm focused exclusively on healthy living and aging, held its second annual Healthy Living and Aging conference.
This year's symposium Sex, Drugs and Weight Control featured five well-known authorities who discussed many of the latest developments and newest discoveries that are continually impacting the Healthy Living and Aging market.
Chip Baird, Founder and a Managing Director at North Castle, welcomed an audience of over 200 and set the stage for the presentations that followed: "The economic space of Healthy Living and Aging is an enormous engine of investment opportunity. Go to any magazine cover at any newsstand, and you'll see one, two, three and four articles on this sector. They almost never stop. This is a $300 billion space comprised of between 15,000 and 20,000 companies. It's growing somewhere in the double digits. In many sectors, the growth is north of 50 percent. As a private equity investor, you cannot find a more interesting space. There will absolutely be billions of dollars made over the next decade in the world of Healthy Living and Aging."
Dr. Ken Dychtwald kicked off the presentations with a discussion of how key demographic trends, primarily the aging baby boomers' search for health and youth, are creating new demands in the marketplace. He was followed by Dr. Pepper Schwartz, who discussed the importance of sexual health in overall wellness, and Dr. David Kessler, who described the revolutionary impact that genomics will have on disease therapies. After a brief break, Dr. Pam Peeke spoke about the obesity epidemic and its implications for many businesses and society. Finally, Dr. Andrew Weil presented his unique perspective on how individuals and their physicians can forge new relationships to achieve optimal health outcomes.
A brief overview of the presentations are provided below. For highlights of the speakers' presentations, see issue 4 of our newsletter, NCP Perspectives (1M PDF File - opens in a new window).
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Boomers Want to Stay Young
Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D.
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Dr. Dychtwald discussed the key demographic trends that are leading to changing consumer needs and new marketplace opportunities. The aging of the baby boomer, the 76 million people born between 1946 and 1964, has resulted in exploding demand for new products and services that help people "stay young" by maintaining their health and youthful appearance.
For highlights from Dr. Dychtwald's presentation, see issue 4 of our newsletter, NCP Perspectives (1M PDF File - opens in a new window).
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Better Sex for Better Health
Pepper Schwartz, Ph.D.
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Dr. Pepper Schwartz shared new findings that establish the importance of sexual health and activity as a component of overall physical and mental well being. She also highlighted several cultural shifts and attitudes toward sexuality that are bringing new marketplace opportunities.
For highlights from Dr. Schwartz's presentation, see issue 4 of our newsletter, NCP Perspectives (1M PDF File - opens in a new window).
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Targeted Therapy: The Promise of Pharmacogenomics
David A. Kessler, MD
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Dr. David Kessler highlighted the revolutionary findings in the new field of pharmacogenomics, which will result in more "targeted therapies" for many of our most common diseases. He discussed the implications of this approach, which should result in safer, more effective treatments.
For highlights from Dr. Kessler's presentation, see issue 4 of our newsletter, NCP Perspectives (1M PDF File - opens in a new window).
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The Fight Against Fat
Pamela M. Peeke, MD, MPH
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Today, more than half of the U.S. population is either overweight or obese. Dr. Peeke addressed the obesity crisis that, in 2005, is expected to surpass smoking as the leading cause of preventable deaths in the U.S. She discussed some of the factors that have led to this epidemic, which affects children as well as adults, and discussed the need for change.
For highlights from Dr. Peeke's presentation, see issue 4 of our newsletter, NCP Perspectives (1M PDF File - opens in a new window).
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New Protocols for Healthier Lives
Andrew Weil, MD
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Dr. Weil discussed the importance of natural medicines and diet, the patient's role in enhancing therapeutic outcomes and how a more integrative and preventive approach to medicine could result in both a more effective and less costly health care system.
For highlights from Dr. Weil's presentation, see issue 4 of our newsletter, NCP Perspectives (1M PDF File - opens in a new window).
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