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European Pharmaceutical Contractor
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With increasing patient numbers and the limitations of existing therapies, the Alzheimer's disease (AD) market is an attractive investment with huge unmet need. However, following the withdrawal of Elan's vaccine, Betabloc, and disappointing pivotal trial results of NeoTherapeutics' neurotrophic drug, Neotrofin, the late stage AD drug pipeline looks bleak. Nevertheless, a number of biotech companies are developing an array of innovative technologies to treat a disease that currently affects around 13 million elderly people across the seven major pharmaceutical markets - namely the US, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. The most promising drugs are those that aim to slow, halt or even reverse disease progression via modulation of beta-amyloid - a protein which many experts believe is the core of AD pathology. Nevertheless, patients will have to wait several years before truly groundbreaking treatments are made available.
A Highly Prevalent and Debilitating Brain Disorder
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, characterised by the loss of mental function in older people. Affecting over one million people in the UK alone, the health care costs associated with the disease are vast, and with life expectancy increasing, AD is certain to become a global health burden in the next 20 to 30 years. AD progresses in stages, gradually destroying memory, reason, judgment, language and eventually the ability to carry out even the simplest of tasks.
In addition to histological changes within the brain, the disease has been linked with deficiencies in several neurotransmitters, the most important of which being acetylcholine (ACh), associated with a loss of cholinergic neurons. Currently, there is only one AD drug class available to treat the disease, the acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs), which work by inhibiting the enzyme that breaks down ACh in the brain.
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By Ben Greener, Neurology Analyst at Datamonitor
Ben Greener is a Neurology Analyst at Datamonitor. He joined the company in April 2001, and has since authored a number of market analysis reports for the company in the field of CNS. In particular, Ben has focused on the expanding neurology markets, with emphasis on large therapeutic areas such as Alzheimer's disease. For example, Ben has provided comprehensive analysis on current marketing strategies, treatment algorithms and drug R&D pipelines, and surveyed opinion leaders and health care specialists from across the seven leading pharmaceutical markets.
During his time at university, Ben specialised in several areas of neuroscience, including topics such as brain diseases, developmental neurobiology and neurogastroenterology. Ben holds a BSc Hons degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Sheffield.
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Industry Events |
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DIA Annual EuroMeeting
26-28 March 2012, Copenhagen, Denmark
The EuroMeeting attracts more than 3,000 professionals from over 50 countries. It brings together professionals from the biopharmaceutical industry, contract service organisations, clinical research, regulatory agencies, health ministries, patients’ organisations and universities. This convergence affords attendees the opportunity to network with professional colleagues from around the world.
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AMRI Announces Preferred Provider Agreement with BioPontis Alliance LLC
AMRI, a global contract services organization, announced today that it has entered into a preferred provider agreement with BioPontis Alliance LLC. The agreement is aimed at supporting BioPontis’ mission to bridge the gap between early-stage research and technologies being discovered and developed in academia and other research entities. AMRI will provide its services in small molecule discovery, development, and manufacturing in BioPontis’ drug discovery research programs. The agreement also supports the need for proof-of-concept data that is required in the current pharmaceutical company licensing environment. The goal of BioPontis Alliance is to identify promising early stage product opportunities and utilize a preferred network of CROs and leading research companies to apply appropriate expertise to develop these opportunities enough to attract pharmaceutical company licensing partners.
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