Study Finds Nonprofits, Federal Government Surpass Pharma to Lead Alzheimer's Drug Development

Two studies published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions indicate substantial changes in the focus and funding of clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease therapies, reports the University of Las Vegas, Nevada (UNLV) News Center .The investigators examined clinicaltrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's database, and five years of annual Alzheimer's pipeline reviews published by UNLV School of Integrated Health Sciences researchers. The results detail the pharmaceutical sector's withdrawal from Alzheimer's clinical trials, especially early phase human trials, with federal agencies and nonprofits stepping in to primarily encourage growth and innovation. The first study observed a decrease in Alzheimer's clinical trials supported by pharmaceutical firms over the past five years, while trials backed by federal government sources and public-private partnerships have risen; academic medical centers were found to increasingly fill the void left by pharma. The second study determined that drugmakers' retreat from Alzheimer's clinical trials has not reduced the agents in those trials, whose number has been relatively steady over the last five years. "If new therapies are approved by regulatory authorities, more sponsors and more funding may be attracted to Alzheimer's research with accelerated innovation," the authors conclude.