title: Barriers to drug discovery and development for Alzheimer disease.
abstract: Alzheimer disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition leading to progressive, irreversible loss of cognitive and behavioral function. Despite considerable investments in neuroscience research, only four drugs, all cholinesterase inhibitors, have been approved for the symptomatic management of AD in the United States. Although basically safe and modestly effective, these drugs are far from ideal, being neither universally efficacious nor disease modifying. AD exacts a considerable toll in direct medical costs, quality of life, and caregiver burden for persons and society. In addition to the obvious clinical benefit, therapeutic agents for AD and related dementias represent a considerable market opportunity for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. There are currently 8-10 million AD sufferers in the seven major pharmaceutical markets. The market will grow rapidly in coming decades, as the developed world experiences an enormous increase in its elderly population. Given the great need for new therapeutic agents to manage and prevent AD, the Institute for the Study of Aging and the Fidelity Foundation organized a workshop, "Barriers to the Discovery and Development of Drugs for Alzheimer's Disease," to examine ways to expedite drug discovery and development. The identified barriers and potential solutions will be discussed here and in the accompanying articles in more detail.
authors.affiliation: The Institute for the Study of Aging, Inc., New York, New York, USA. hfillit@rslmgmt.com
authors.forename: Howard M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Fillit
authors.forename: Alan W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: O'Connell
authors.forename: William M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Larry D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Altstiel
authors.forename: Ravi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Anand
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.forename: Steven H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Ferris
authors.forename: Zaven S
authors.initials: ZS
authors.lastname: Khachaturian
authors.forename: June
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kinoshita
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van Eldik
authors.forename: C Forbes
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Dewey
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D013678:Technology, Pharmaceutical / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers