Current Events > Pfizer to end research on Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, laying off 300 in process

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.wsj.com/articles/pfizer-ends-hunt-for-drugs-to-treat-alzheimers-and-parkinsons-1515267654

Pfizer Inc. PFE 0.19% said Saturday it will stop trying to discover new drugs for Alzheimers disease and Parkinsons disease, abandoning costly but futile efforts to find effective treatments for the disorders.

The cutback will result in layoffs of 300 employees in Cambridge and Andover in Massachusetts and in Groton, Conn., over several months, according to a company statement.

The restructuring wont affect later-stage drug development for pain treatments Lyrica and tanezumab, or research into drugs for rare neurological diseases, Pfizer said.

The company plans to use the savings to fund drug R&D in other areas. This was an exercise to reallocate [spending] across our portfolio, to focus on those areas where our pipeline, and our scientific expertise, is strongest, it said.

Pfizer also said it plans to establish a corporate venture fund to invest in promising neuroscience projects outside the company.

Like several peers, Pfizer has invested heavily in developing treatments for Alzheimers and Parkinsons because of the huge need, but met disappointment when once-promising compounds failed to work during testing.

Notably, in 2012, Pfizer and partner Johnson & Johnson halted development of an Alzheimers drug called bapineuzumab after it failed to slow memory loss in test subjects.

Other companies, such as AstraZeneca PLC, Biogen Inc. and Eli Lilly & Co., keep pursuing Alzheimers treatment, but analysts consider the projects very risky.

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What a bunch of quitters

Fuck Pfizer
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So they're finding better ways to use funds instead of continuously throwing tons of cash at something that isn't making worthy enough strides.
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chrono625 posted...

So they're finding better ways to use funds instead of continuously throwing tons of cash at something that isn't making worthy enough strides.

Im sure youll see an increase in boner pills for 70 year old men or something
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Or how about painkillers that everyone is addicted to. Thats a real money maker
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A simple example of why federally funding science is important.
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This is one of the few times government funding pulls through

Or in reality, China
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Drug companies just research expensive treatments that still prolong illnesses instead of cures anyway.
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chrono625 posted...

So they're finding better ways to use funds instead of continuously throwing tons of cash at something that isn't making worthy enough strides.

This. We're maxing out what we can do with pharmaceuticals. The future is in other modalities like deep brain stimulation.
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daftpunk_mk5 posted...

chrono625 posted...

So they're finding better ways to use funds instead of continuously throwing tons of cash at something that isn't making worthy enough strides.

This. We're maxing out what we can do with pharmaceuticals. The future is in other modalities like deep brain stimulation.

Pathetic whats the point in drugs if its all in your head anyway
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daftpunk_mk5 posted...

The future is in other modalities like deep brain stimulation.

DBS, as amazing as it is for PD, is an extremely invasive stopgap treatment.

Pretending like it's a cure or fix all is just silly.
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Not sure what the problem is here. Antifar keeps getting baited by these clickbait articles with emotionally manipulative titles.
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Southernfatman posted...

Drug companies just research expensive treatments that still prolong illnesses instead of cures anyway.

How fucking delusional can you be. There is no conspiracy to keep people sicks and cures are extremely profitable. When Gilead developed a cure for hep C they were able to charge $83,000 for a course.
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The Admiral posted...

Not sure what the problem is here. Antifar keeps getting baited by these clickbait articles with emotionally manipulative titles.

I think the overall point to be had here is that trusting the market forces to dictate research is probably a bad idea.
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COVxy posted...

daftpunk_mk5 posted...

The future is in other modalities like deep brain stimulation.

DBS, as amazing as it is for PD, is an extremely invasive stopgap treatment.

Pretending like it's a cure or fix all is just silly.

It's has dramatic outcomes and we'll find less invasive ways to deliver it. But I'm saying in general drugs aren't the only treatment option.
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daftpunk_mk5 posted...

It's has dramatic outcomes

In symptoms, not pathology. It makes it easier to live as your brain degenerates.

The goal, really, is to treat pathology.
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COVxy posted...

The Admiral posted...

Not sure what the problem is here. Antifar keeps getting baited by these clickbait articles with emotionally manipulative titles.

I think the overall point to be had here is that trusting the market forces to dictate research is probably a bad idea.

Why? The majority of new drugs are invented in the US in part because of the market system.
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daftpunk_mk5 posted...

Why? The majority of new drugs are invented in the US in part because of the market system.

Because many important endeavours are not net profitable, or profitable at all.
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COVxy posted...

The Admiral posted...

Not sure what the problem is here. Antifar keeps getting baited by these clickbait articles with emotionally manipulative titles.

I think the overall point to be had here is that trusting the market forces to dictate research is probably a bad idea.

Its not a bad idea, but it has its limits at the extremes- and another company might be kicking their ass at this
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COVxy posted...

daftpunk_mk5 posted...

It's has dramatic outcomes

In symptoms, not pathology. It makes it easier to live as your brain degenerates.

The goal, really, is to treat pathology.

Is it though? The substantia nigra is shot in PD. The DBS is effectively replacing its function. Regenerating dead neuronal tissue is extremely difficult and itll probably be a couple decades till we're doing it clinically with stem cells.
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COVxy posted...

The Admiral posted...

Not sure what the problem is here. Antifar keeps getting baited by these clickbait articles with emotionally manipulative titles.

I think the overall point to be had here is that trusting the market forces to dictate research is probably a bad idea.

It could simply be that Alzheimers and Parkinsons dont have pharmacological cures. Pfizer isnt a general research company.
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daftpunk_mk5 posted...

Is it though? The substantia nigra is shot in PD. The DBS is effectively replacing its function.

SNpc is likely extremely degenerated by the time we diagnose it with our current procedures, yes. Doesn't mean it has to be. Catching the disease earlier is where a lot of research is going into. But, regardless, you don't necessarily need a large percentage of functioning dopamine producing cells to maintain relatively normal physiology, so if we had a drug that would stop the progression when diagnosed, that would be enough.

DBS doesn't effectively replace it's function, just alleviates the basic motor symptoms. Dopamine does a shit ton of things, and it does so in a complex manner. DBS and L-DOPA as a combined treatment do not actually normalize the physiology. What DBS seems to do is knock out an aberrant reverberating frequency band originating in the basal ganglia. Which helps with the symptoms, but doesn't return normal functioning and certainly doesn't slow the progression of the disease.
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Why bother when you can keep pumping out opiates for the masses to be addicted to. You know how much they charge for that shit once you're hooked?
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The Admiral posted...

It could simply be that Alzheimers and Parkinsons dont have pharmacological cures.

Could be, I guess (though I'm not too sure if it makes any sense, there can certainly be no feasible pharmacological treatment, but there almost necessarily needs to exist one, as far as I can reason), but that is a ridiculous conclusion to draw.
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green butter posted...

chrono625 posted...

So they're finding better ways to use funds instead of continuously throwing tons of cash at something that isn't making worthy enough strides.

Im sure youll see an increase in boner pills for 70 year old men or something

when you are 70, you will appreciate it very much.
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the racist trump supporters immediately jumps to the defense of big business.......this is just funny now
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So they found a cure but don't want to share it because it would cut into their bottom line.

They'll be selling it to old rich people under the table for millions I'm sure.
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Remember when that guy discovered a vaccine for that thing and gave it away for free? Those were the days
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COVxy posted...

daftpunk_mk5 posted...

Is it though? The substantia nigra is shot in PD. The DBS is effectively replacing its function.

SNpc is likely extremely degenerated by the time we diagnose it with our current procedures, yes. Doesn't mean it has to be. Catching the disease earlier is where a lot of research is going into. But, regardless, you don't necessarily need a large percentage of functioning dopamine producing cells to maintain relatively normal physiology, so if we had a drug that would stop the progression when diagnosed, that would be enough.

DBS doesn't effectively replace it's function, just alleviates the basic motor symptoms. Dopamine does a shit ton of things, and it does so in a complex manner. DBS and L-DOPA as a combined treatment do not actually normalize the physiology. What DBS seems to do is knock out an aberrant reverberating frequency band originating in the basal ganglia. Which helps with the symptoms, but doesn't return normal functioning and certainly doesn't slow the progression of the disease.

In the short and medium term though I think it will be an important part of the treatment. Also a lot of drugs that may potentially be effective in treating the cognitive symptoms have parkinsonian motor symptoms as a side effect. I can see potential in testing them in DBS patients to see if the combination is effective and if the DBS can effectively prevent the side effects. .
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COVxy posted...

The Admiral posted...

It could simply be that Alzheimers and Parkinsons dont have pharmacological cures.

Could be, I guess (though I'm not too sure if it makes any sense, there can certainly be no feasible pharmacological treatment, but there almost necessarily needs to exist one, as far as I can reason), but that is a ridiculous conclusion to draw.

The best drugs can do is slow progression. I dont think we'll be able to cure them with traditional drugs cause like I said we cant really effectively regrow neurons. We need more research into the causes and genetic markers, I think has a lot more promise than putting more money into drugs at the time being. Maybe then once we can find out more about the mechanism for neuronal damage then we can start finding drugs to target that mechanism.
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Southernfatman posted...

Drug companies just research expensive treatments that still prolong illnesses instead of cures anyway.

Yes, and you can ask any person with a long term illness/disability, and you won't find much argument there.
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daftpunk_mk5 posted...

The best drugs can do is slow progression.

Atm, with PD, there are no drugs that even slow progression.

Just alleviate symptoms.

The idea that there's no pharmaceutical intervention that could actually target the mechanism of cell death here is pretty unlikely.
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I'd opine about how worthless Alzheimer's medications have been, but I've learned that a medical degree is no match for grandstanding.
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daftpunk_mk5 posted...

COVxy posted...

The Admiral posted...

It could simply be that Alzheimers and Parkinsons dont have pharmacological cures.

Could be, I guess (though I'm not too sure if it makes any sense, there can certainly be no feasible pharmacological treatment, but there almost necessarily needs to exist one, as far as I can reason), but that is a ridiculous conclusion to draw.

The best drugs can do is slow progression. I dont think we'll be able to cure them with traditional drugs cause like I said we cant really effectively regrow neurons. We need more research into the causes and genetic markers, I think has a lot more promise than putting more money into drugs at the time being. Maybe then once we can find out more about the mechanism for neuronal damage then we can start finding drugs to target that mechanism.

EXACTLY. Who needs a cure, when you can prevent it from happening in the first place?

The damage to my brain from multiple sclerosis has already been done, and no 'cure' can change that. Would be nice, however, to have known what caused it...
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COVxy posted...

daftpunk_mk5 posted...

The best drugs can do is slow progression.

Atm, with PD, there are no drugs that even slow progression.

Just alleviate symptoms.

The idea that there's no pharmaceutical intervention that could actually target the mechanism of cell death here is pretty unlikely.

Well like I said, the priority should be finding out more about that mechanism so that we can then target it.
We know what cells die, we know the pathways affected and impact, but we dont have a good sense of why it happens yet.
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COVxy posted...

daftpunk_mk5 posted...

The best drugs can do is slow progression.

Atm, with PD, there are no drugs that even slow progression.

Just alleviate symptoms.

The idea that there's no pharmaceutical intervention that could actually target the mechanism of cell death here is pretty unlikely.

We'd have to figure out the core process behind Lewy Body formation to really halt progression.
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daftpunk_mk5 posted...

Well like I said, the priority should be finding out more about that mechanism so that we can then target it

And what companies are funding that research?
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Coffeebeanz posted...

We'd have to figure out the core process

My entire point. Why wouldn't a company invest in such basic research? Probably because it's not profitable.
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COVxy posted...

daftpunk_mk5 posted...

Well like I said, the priority should be finding out more about that mechanism so that we can then target it

And what companies are funding that research?

That's not in the realm of pharmaceutical companies. It's the realm of university labs and academic grants.
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daftpunk_mk5 posted...

That's not in the realm of pharmaceutical companies. It's the realm of university labs and academic grants.

Which is to say:
COVxy posted...

I think the overall point to be had here is that trusting the market forces to dictate research is probably a bad idea

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