Pfizer commits $5bn to neurological disease r&d
Over the next five years, Pfizer is to invest approximately $5bn (€5.1bn) in pursuit of new medicines to treat neurological and psychiatric disorders. Currently, Pfizer researchers are working on finding the next generation of solutions to mental illness and neurodegenerative disorders using technologies such as receptor cloning, combinatorial chemistry, genetically-modified mice and pharmacogenomics. Pfizer's investment in this area is significantly ahead of its nearest pharmaceutical competitors on an annual basis.
An estimated 1.5bn people worldwide suffer from neurodegenerative diseases, which include depression and anxiety, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, neuropathic pain and migraine. 'Given the escalating cost to society and the human toll of these diseases, innovative pharmaceuticals represent the best hope for improving lives and effectively managing costs,' said Pfizer chairman and ceo Hank McKinnell. 'It is only this kind of high-risk, long-term and expensive research that will ensure new CNS medicines in the future. '