PhRMA reports 444 new medications in line for neurological diseases
Just under 450 new therapies are in the works for a wide range of neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, brain cancer, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and many others, according to a 2013 report released Wednesday by PhRMA, a biopharmaceutical industry trade group.
The pharmaceuticals listed as either under FDA review or in human clinical trials included 83 potential Alzheimer’s medications, 82 drugs for pain, 62 brain tumor treatments, 27 medicines for Parkinson’s disease and 38 medicines for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. A treatment was presented for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, with the key function of recruiting the immune system to stave off neural damage from the disease.
Gene therapies with a potential green light included nerve growth factor gene therapy, highlighted as one of the most promising treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. The therapy works to protect neurons from Alzheimer’s related neurodegeneration. RNAi therapies may be particularly helpful in treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and an adeno-associated virus may be a useful gene therapy for Parkinson’s disease. Research at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology in the United Kingdom is altering the binding of an enzyme in the brain in order to downshift the effects of Huntington’s disease.
In the realm of molecular targeting and biomarkers, a number of research breakthroughs were cited, including the discovery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City of 10 genes that may be responsible for 50 percent of genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease. A mutation of the TREM2 gene has been found to increase risk of developing late-stage Alzheimer’s by as much as five times that of patients without the mutated gene. Additionally, researchers at the National Institutes of Health have also found a link between a dysfunctional protein involved in fat metabolism and early-onset Parkinson’s disease.
A complete list of the 444 drugs was included with indications, industry sponsor and development phase in the 51-page annual report compiled by the trade group.