May 13, 2014

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

Trish Vradenburg and Rep. Annie Kuster (D-AK) pay tributes to their mothers, the need for FDA fixes, and big investment in local drug developer working on Alzheimer's treatments (read more).
 

Must reads

  • A May 11, 2014 Huffington Post article by USA2 co-founder Trish Vradenburg and Congresswoman Annie Kuster (D-AK) paid tribute to their mothers who suffered from Alzheimer's. According to the article, "So we're fighting for our Moms, for their memory, for their daughters, for their granddaughters and every generation to come -- so they can live the full lives they deserve and proudly carry forward the genes of the valiant women our Mothers were."
Research, science, and technology 
  • A May 13, 2014 Forbes article by Manhattan Institute fellow Yevgeniy Feyman called for fixes to the FDA and the patent system. According to Feyman, "Bringing life-saving drugs to market isn’t cheap – the capitalized cost of bringing a typical drug to market is around $1.2 billion and continues to grow every year. And thanks in no small part to heavy-handed FDA regulations, this cost is slated to keep growing, especially for new, highly targeted medicines for diseases ranging from cancer to type 2 diabetes…Over the long run we need to generate more new drugs, for the people who need them the most.  We’ll need creative solutions that are sustainable for patients, payers, and industry."
  • A May 12, 2014 In The Capital article reported that "Chase Pharmaceuticals, a Washington, D.C.-based developer of medicine to treat brain disorders, has closed a $21 million round of Series B funding from venture capitalist groups on Monday." According to the article, "A drug that can treat Alzheimer's and related dementia created by Chase is currently in the development pipeline and about to go to phase two testing…Chase also has a technique to improve currently Alzheimer's drugs by making them safer and more effective that it is using. Alzheimer's is increasingly common in the U.S. in part due to an aging population. New and better treatments for it consequently get a lot of attention, even when they are early in their development."
  • Inovio Pharmaceuticals Acquires Early Stage DNA Therapies to Treat Alzheimer's and Multiple Sclerosis [Inovio Press Release] (5/13/14)