This week, I participated in an Alzheimer’s roundtable conference call sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). The call was moderated by Ed Belkin, Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs, PhRMA, and speakers included David Wheadon, M.D., Senior Vice President for Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, PhRMA; David Michelson, M.D., Vice President, Clinical Neuroscience Research, Merck Research Laboratories; Phil Iredale, Head of Neurodegeneration Biology, Pfizer; Richard Mohs, Global Product Development, Eli Lilly and Company; and Trish Vandenberg, USAgainstAlzheimers.
Participating bloggers included Joanne Reynolds of Blueprint for Caregiving and Nora Nagatani of aboutalz.com.
The panelists agreed that Alzheimer’s Disease is already a major crisis and getting worse as the baby boomers age. However, the good news is that nearly 100 clinical trials are underway, and even the trials that have already failed have provided valuable information. Pharmaceutical companies are partnering with academia, and Alzheimer’s is one of the top research priorities. The researchers were all optimistic that the research will eventually lead to effective treatments for this devastating disease.
A transcript of the roundtable will be posted on the PhRMA website soon.
Some of the researchers on the call appear in the video below.