Alzheimer's Reviewed by NeuroPerspective

CARDIFF, Calif., Sept. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- NI Research (NIR) has released the September issue of NeuroPerspective, which features a comprehensive review of Alzheimer's therapeutics.

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"Alzheimer's constitutes the single largest opportunity in the pharma world, but with risk to match, and a daunting legacy of clinical disappointments. It has seen a surprising lack of progress. This is partly due to the sector having allowed theory to drive the science, instead of the other way around. As a result, the path to disease-modifying therapies has seen remarkably little headway made, and symptomatic treatments have taken on greater relative importance," said NeuroPerspective publisher Harry Tracy, PhD.

"It is instructive that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has set 2025 as their target date for having a disease-modifying drug available for Alzheimer's. This suggests substantial skepticism regarding the disease-modifier crop of 2016-18, since success for any of them would easily translate into a drug becoming available several years before 2025. While NIR's optimistic expectations of 10 or 15 years ago have been turned to ashes, it is difficult to believe that a decade from now, there would not be a treatment that slows the progression of the disease. But since the fingerprint of the pathophysiological root cause has yet to be identified, we are obligated to lower our sights and expectations," he said.
 
This 51-page issue is the largest and most comprehensive issue of NeuroPerspective ever produced. It includes:

• An overview of the biology of Alzheimer's as it is currently conceptualized, albeit not yet validated. More attention is being devoted to alternative upstream models, and to downstream access points that may be relevant to multiple neurodegenerative disorders.
  
  
• A review of the many therapeutic strategies that have been employed, and that are currently under development, with a fresh focus upon tau and anti-inflammatory approaches.
  
  
• The companies and programs that are in clinical, preclinical, and discovery stage. Over 230 therapeutic programs are included in this review. The issue includes assessments of continued efforts to find an effective antibody strategy, and the continuing trend towards the omission of Phase IIb testing.

• The issue also focuses upon variations on the secretase theme from Merck, AstraZeneca, Forum Pharmaceuticals and Novartis; beta-amyloid targeting alternatives from companies like Acumen, Axerion/AstraZeneca, American Life Science Partners and Probiodrug; alternative approaches to disease progression from TauRx, AC Immune, Prana, Merck/Alectos, Roche/reMYND and NeuroPhage; and those with Phase II data, such as Forum Pharma, Lundbeck, TauRx and Prana. Forum Pharmaceuticals' EVP-6124 exemplifies a new breed of symptomatic therapies that may extend independence, while Acadia Pharmaceuticals' Nuplazid is now in Phase III for Alzheimer's psychosis.

Other topics covered in NeuroPerspective September:

• Our commentary on "The Golden Age of Neuroscience" as was recently proposed by an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal

• The potential for the geographic and systemic consolidation of resources to reduce innovation and creativity in neurotherapeutics research.

• The Company Spotlight review covers the neurogenesis specialist Neuronascent.

About NI Research

NI Research is the leading publisher of independent research on the neurotherapeutics industry, and has developed an unmatched information base regarding both publicly and privately held CNS companies. NeuroPerspective is the authoritative, independent, monthly review of the neurotherapeutics area, providing critical analyses of therapeutics-in-development.

A one-year (1-5 user) subscription to NeuroPerspective is $2,450. The Alzheimer's review issue of NeuroPerspective is being made available as a single-issue purchase for $350.

NI Research has also recently released the 2014-15 edition of NeuroLicensing, which comprehensively reviews current licensing trends in the CNS area, and assesses large and midsize pharma companies in terms of their licensing agendas and performance. In addition, NI Research provides consulting services to the pharma industry.

Further information and online purchasing with immediate download are available at http://www.niresearch.com/onlinestore.html.

Contact: NI Research, P.O. Box 1028, Cardiff CA 92007; 760.230.2581
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Contact

Harry M. Tracy PhD
NI Research Inc.
760.753.6376
Email

SOURCE NI Research