The US-based pharmaceutical giant said it would be ending its neuroscience discovery programmes following a review, and 300 jobs would be lost.<\/p>\n
The Alzheimer\u2019s Society called the news \u201cdisappointing\u201d and a \u201cheavy blow\u201d to those living with dementia.<\/p>\n
Companies should be encouraged to invest in research into neuroscience, Alzheimer\u2019s Research UK said.<\/p>\n
The move means Pfizer will also stop looking for treatments for Parkinson\u2019s disease, but the company said it planned to create a new fund dedicated to neuroscience research in the future.<\/p>\n
A statement from the company said: \u201cWe have made the decision to end our neuroscience discovery and early development efforts and re-allocate funding to those areas where we have strong scientific leadership and that will allow us to provide the greatest impact for patients.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prof Tara Spires-Jones, a neuroscientist at Edinburgh University, told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 that despite the decision, there was still a lot of hope.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot all pharmaceutical companies are pulling out and there are over 100 clinical trials at the moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a lot going on in the basic science \u2013 we need to understand the complexity of the brain.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said Pfizer\u2019s decision was understandable because of the failure rate of clinical trials.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than 99% of trials for Alzheimer\u2019s drugs have failed in past 15 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo companies are justifiably cautious, but we are making great advances on the scientific front.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prof Spires-Jones added: \u201cWe\u2019ve learned from these failures of trials that we need to take a step back and understand brain changes.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the moment we don\u2019t fully understand how memory and thinking work fully in a healthy brain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pharmaceutical companies including Novartis, Janssen, Biogen, Abbvie and Eli Lilly are still developing medicines to treat Alzheimer\u2019s disease and a spokesman for the ABPI (Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry) said they continued \u201cto make progress in unravelling the complexities of the brain and identifying the underpinnings of the disease\u201d.<\/p>\n
Dr James Pickett, head of research at Alzheimer\u2019s Society, said: \u201cOf course it\u2019s disappointing to hear that Pfizer, one of the world\u2019s leading pharmaceutical companies, will be terminating their research efforts in neuroscience, including Alzheimer\u2019s disease drug discovery.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe brain is the most complex organ in the body and developing drugs to treat brain diseases is a tremendous challenge, but with no new drug for dementia in the last 15 years, this will come as a heavy blow to the estimated 46.8 million people currently living with the condition across the globe.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Alzheimer\u2019s Society said it had committed \u00a350m to fund new research at the UK Dementia Research Institute alongside Alzheimer\u2019s Research UK and the Medical Research Council.<\/p>\n
Dr Matthew Norton, director of policy at Alzheimer\u2019s Research UK, said: \u201cWe hope that pharmaceutical companies will look at the long-term potential when deciding whether to participate in this effort.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is vital that all of us \u2013 charities, government and industry alike \u2013 make long-term commitments to dementia research if we are to bring an end to the fear, harm and heartbreak of dementia.\u201d<\/p>\n
Currently, about 850,000 people in the UK have a form of dementia.<\/p>\n
One million people are predicted to be living with the condition by 2021, and this could rise to two million by 2051.<\/p>\n
BBC<\/p>\n