Must reads

• A December 16, 2013 Economic Times article reported that "Danish pharmaceutical group Lundbeck said on Monday it would launch a new treatment for Alzheimer's disease in the United States in 2017." 
• A December 15, 2013 New York Times opinion piece by John J. Castellani, president and chief executive officer of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, highlighted the importance of a "thriving innovative biopharmaceutical research sector" to discovering treatments for diseases like Alzheimer's. According to Castellani, "From Alzheimer’s to cancer, from preventable, manageable but costly chronic diseases to rare disorders, we need more medical progress that is only possible with a thriving innovative biopharmaceutical research sector and a fully collaborative and informed innovation ecosystem." [Behind paywall: full text attached]
• A December 13, 2013 The Telegraph (UK) article reported that Britain's Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned that dementia can "have a bigger impact on carers than people suffering from the disease." According to the article, "Speaking at a meeting held by the Dementia Movement, Mr Hunt added: “It is the disease, one of the only diseases that actually has more impact on family members who care for them than on those who have the disease.”"
• A December 13, 2013 National Institutes of Health article reported that an "NIH-funded study suggests brain blood vessel cells may be therapeutic targets for Alzheimer’s disease." According to the article, "A study in mice shows how a breakdown of the brain’s blood vessels may amplify or cause problems associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The results published in Nature Communications suggest that blood vessel cells called pericytes may provide novel targets for treatments and diagnoses."