New report details the setbacks and challenges to Alzheimer's research

Illustrating the challenges of developing medicines to fight Alzheimer’s disease, a new analysis found that between 1998 and 2017, there were 146 unsuccessful medicines in clinical trialsfor Alzheimer’s disease.

In that same time frame, only four new medicines were approved to treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. In other words, for every successful research project, about 37 failed to yield a new medicine – a 2.7% success rate, according to a posting by Pharmaceuticals and Research Manufacturers of American by Gretta Stone, deputy vice president of policy & research at PhRMA.

In the world of Alzheimer’s research, headlines announcing failed drug candidates are all too common. Patients, caregivers, health care providers and researchers all experience the disappointment that comes with these setbacks. But it’s also important to recognize that with these so-called failures comes new information that brings us one step closer to a disease-modifying medicine.