In early 2011, the National Alzheimer’s Project was formed — a strategic plan aimed at addressing the looming health care crisis posed by the disease and the aging population. Its aim: to coordinate research efforts across the U.S. federal government with the goal of preventing or effectively treating Alzheimer’s Disease by 2025. Since then,...
We recently wrote about the continued, costly failure of Alzheimer’s disease drugs, often occurring in Phase 3 clinical development. Of 244 compounds tested from 2002 to 2012, only one gained approval. Today there are four compounds on the market for Alzheimer’s disease (of six total approved since research began), all aimed at treating symptoms rather...
Alzheimer’s Disease: Part One – Another one bites the dust, but a possible glimmer of hope on the horizon On February 14, Merck halted the Phase 3 trial of its Alzheimer’s disease drug candidate, verubecestat, after independent analysis showed that the drug had “virtually no chance of working.” This late stage failure was just the...
Last fall, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative announced plans to invest $3 billion over 10 years in scientific efforts with an ambitious long-range aim to “cure, prevent or manage” all diseases. As a first part of that effort, they directed $600 million towards the establishment of the CZ Biohub in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood. This...