Setbacks and promises for drugs against Alzheimer's disease: As pharmaceutical companies are retreating from drug development for Alzheimer's, new approaches are being tested in academia and biotech companies

Abstract

The withdrawal of pharmaceutical companies from developing drugs against Alzheimer's highlights the inherent difficulties in tackling this devastating disease. In the meantime, biotech companies and basic research explore new targets and drug combinations.

Figure 1. Dementia, a public health priority

WHO infographic about the symptoms of dementia, the cause, the number of people affected and its cost.Source: World Health Organization. Reproduced with permission.

Figure 2. Molecular architecture of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease

Reproduced from 1, with permission.

Figure 3. The sequence of major pathogenic events leading to AD proposed by the amyloid cascade hypothesis

The curved blue arrow indicates that Aβ oligomers may directly injure the synapses and neurites of brain neurons, in addition to activating microglia and astrocytes. Reproduced from 2, with permission.

Figure 4. Alzheimer's disease drug development pipeline

Mechanisms of action of agents in phase II (A) and phase III (B). BACE, β‐site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme. Original data were retrieved from http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Reproduced from 8, with permission.