The difficulties of drugging our brains
Following the withdrawal of many large pharma companies from central nervous system research, Andy Extance finds new drug development patterns are emerging
Major pharmaceutical companies have long been downsizing their central nervous system (CNS) research and development programmes. Between 2009 and 2014, there was a 52% drop in CNS drug discovery and development programmes pursued by large pharma, with almost all companies showing a decline. That situation has continued, despite great unmet needs remaining in mental health and other CNS conditions.
Research and development in psychiatric and neurological disorders is notoriously challenging. Issues with recruiting and retaining patients are common in clinical trials in the area, leading to additional costs and delays. Other researchers argue that drug approval processes are not well suited to CNS drug development. Meanwhile, the brain’s complexity and the resulting difficulty in understanding it are fundamental issues that underlie why many large drug companies left the field. But university research centres and smaller firms are stepping in, often teaming up with big pharma. And in doing so they are starting the long process of rebuilding the pipeline of therapies that target the brain.