title: Risk in CNS drug discovery: focus on treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: Despite rapid progress in our understanding of disease mechanisms and an exploding list of new targets for therapeutic intervention, drug discovery and development remains a highly risky business. Understanding the risk involved requires appreciation of the differing perspectives of risk held by the various stakeholders involved in drug research. Risk can be reduced by thoughtful management of drug candidate selection, careful planning and program execution by a team of engaged experts, and disciplined decision making. Drug development is particularly challenging for treatments of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, in which translation from animal models of efficacy to human success is poor or unknown, the timelines for clinical study are long, and the markers of efficacy are still evolving. Despite this there are several therapies in clinical development that hold the promise of influencing this disease through novel and possibly synergistic mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Development and Regulatory Services, MDS Pharma Services, Renaissance Blvd, King of Prussia, PA 19406, USA. fred.pritchard@mdsinc.com
authors.forename: J Fred
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Pritchard
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D055808:Drug Discovery / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers