Pharmaceutical firms 'giving up' on Alzheimer's treatment after expensive failed trials

[Kate_UK]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...treatment-series-expensive-failed-trials.html

Dr Karran said pharmaceutical companies were becoming less willing to gamble on dementia treatments.
A number had scaled down their neuroscience teams, notably Astra Zeneca.
The company, which once had a 300-strong neuroscience task force, now ran a 14-person 'virtual' team in Boston that co-ordinated research done by others but conducted none itself.
'It's a legitimate concern,' said Dr Karran. 'A company's role is to have a return on investment. Its board and shareholders exercise certain pressures; that's capitalism.

'On the other hand the medical need is just massive. There's a societal need for these drugs, clearly.
'I think, rather than big pharma doing this by itself, there will have to be more public-private ownership of these massive trials.
'It will require a different way of thinking to bring these drugs forward.'

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[currer]

I thought untrammelled private enterprise was the solution to all problems!

 

[Snow Leopard]

Drug companies don't like to move forward until they have well characterised targets. Fortunately, primary research into Alzheimer's disease is funded at a healthy rate and has been ramping up strongly given the projected future burden.

 

[alex3619]

Basic research is not the job of big pharma. Its the job of foundations, universities and government funded projects. Big pharma can more effectively develop drugs if the basic research is done. If the biochemistry is not understood, or not sufficiently understood, then big pharma could be heading for a loss on their investment. This is an area where govenment funding is crucial: there is no financial incentive for this kind of research in the short to medium term. Bye, Alex

 

[Ian]

By the time you have Alzheimers your brain is totally destroyed. There is no magic pill to fix this.