81% of cancer drug trails failed! In case of Alzheimer's disease 99.6% failed! Much more needs to be done for dementia!
[h=1]Decline in trials for Alzheimer's disease[/h] By Helen Briggs Health editor, BBC News website
[h=2]“Start Quote[/h]
Between 2002 and 2012, they found 99.6% of trials of drugs aimed at preventing, curing or improving the symptoms of Alzheimer's had failed or been discontinued.
This compares with a failure rate of 81% for cancer drugs.
The failure rate was "especially troubling" given the rising numbers of people with dementia, said Dr Simon Ridley, of Alzheimer's Research UK.
"The authors of the study highlight a worrying decline in the number of clinical trials for Alzheimer's treatments in more recent years," he said.
"There is a danger that the high failure rates of trials in the past will discourage pharmaceutical companies from investing in dementia research.
"The only way we will successfully defeat dementia is to continue with high quality, innovative research, improve links with industry and increase investment in clinical trials."
Experimental models
Dr Eric Hill, of the School of Life and Health Sciences at Aston University, said more research was needed to understand the complex mechanisms behind the disease.
"The development of better experimental models that could be incorporated into a battery of tests, will not only help us to understand the changes that occur in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients, but also provide tools for the development of new drug treatments that could slow or stop the onset of disease," he told BBC News.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia.
It affects more than 820,000 people in the UK and costs the economy £23bn a year.
BBC News - Decline in trials for Alzheimer's disease
[h=1]Decline in trials for Alzheimer's disease[/h] By Helen Briggs Health editor, BBC News website
[h=2]“Start Quote[/h]
The authors of the study highlight a worrying decline in the number of clinical trials for Alzheimer's treatments in more recent years”
Dr Simon Ridley Alzheimer's Research UK
Between 2002 and 2012, they found 99.6% of trials of drugs aimed at preventing, curing or improving the symptoms of Alzheimer's had failed or been discontinued.
This compares with a failure rate of 81% for cancer drugs.
The failure rate was "especially troubling" given the rising numbers of people with dementia, said Dr Simon Ridley, of Alzheimer's Research UK.
"The authors of the study highlight a worrying decline in the number of clinical trials for Alzheimer's treatments in more recent years," he said.
"There is a danger that the high failure rates of trials in the past will discourage pharmaceutical companies from investing in dementia research.
"The only way we will successfully defeat dementia is to continue with high quality, innovative research, improve links with industry and increase investment in clinical trials."
Experimental models
Dr Eric Hill, of the School of Life and Health Sciences at Aston University, said more research was needed to understand the complex mechanisms behind the disease.
"The development of better experimental models that could be incorporated into a battery of tests, will not only help us to understand the changes that occur in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients, but also provide tools for the development of new drug treatments that could slow or stop the onset of disease," he told BBC News.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia.
It affects more than 820,000 people in the UK and costs the economy £23bn a year.
BBC News - Decline in trials for Alzheimer's disease
