More than 85 Alzheimer's drugs in development, says PhRMA

More than 15 years and countless billions of research dollars have been lost since the last new treatment was approved for Alzheimer’s disease, but governments, charities and drugmakers are determined not to give up the fight.

On World Alzheimer’s Day, US trade groupPharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) has sought to spread a message of positivity by underlining that more than 85 drugs are in development for the disease. Its members, including the likes of Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN) and Biogen (Nasdaq: BIIB), have assets in late-stage trials.

Hope that a manufacturer might reach elusive milestone of Phase III success rose slightly last month with Goldman Sachs  citing Biogen’s experimental Alzheimer’s drug aducanumab as a major reason for its addition of the US biotech company to the investment bank’s Equity Conviction List. A research note predicted that, based on the expectation for late-stage data on aducanumab in late 2019 or 2020, it could be one of the first disease-modifying drugs to reach the Alzheimer’s market.