Global Exodus from drug research in brain disorders

[Barbarannamated]

 

http://www.pharmafeed.com/novartis-joins-exodus-from-traditional-rd-neuroscience-drug-work

 

Novartis joins exodus from traditional R&D neuroscience drug work

Posted December 8th, 2011 at 1:24 pm

 

Novartis is joining the global exodus from the field of traditional drug research for brain disorders. Nature reports that the pharma giant has set in motion plans to shut down its neuroscience division in Basel, Switzerland, signaling a fresh retreat as it joins GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca in abandoning some of its longstanding drug development efforts in the field.

 

Novartis isn’t dropping out of neuroscience entirely, though. The company plans to shift focus, turning to experts in Cambridge, MA who are studying the genetics of brain disorders and opening up a new division in the U.S. Novartis is reportedly negotiating with unions as it plans to shut the 80-person department in Basel next year while continuing the development of 5 drugs in the pipeline.

 

SIDEBARb: Is this part of the $600 million expansion referred to below?

 

“Progress based on neurotransmitters has become small and incremental,” geneticist Mark Fishman, president of research for the Novartis Institutes of BioMedical Research, told Nature. “Genetic analysis will provide a real scientific opportunity in psychiatric and cognitive disorders, even if new drugs only arrive in the distant future.”Novartis’s move leaves J&J as one of the few Big Pharma companies to keep a big team at work. J&J’s Husseini Manji has been spearheading an effort to spur broad collaboration in the field in noncompetitive areas of research. Brain disorders include some of the toughest targets in the biopharma industry and most big players simply don't like the odds of success right now.

SIDEBARb: Oh. YAY. (Insert SARCASM emoticon HERE)

 

Related posts:

Neuroscience groups alarmed as pharma bolts brain drug R&D http://www.pharmafeed.com/neuroscience-groups-alarmed-as-pharma-bolts-brain-drug-rd

J&J neuroscience chief advocates “open” R&D program

Novartis doubles Boston expansion to $600M

 

 

[Altostrata]

Yeah, they're letting smaller companies take the risk of psychiatric drug development. If the smaller companies get good results, the larger companies will buy them.

 

In Europe, big pharma is campaigning (through the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) for governments to assume the expense of patient injury lawsuits from new psychiatric drugs, excuse me "brain disorder" drugs. Last time around, they had to pay out too much.

 

Would not be surprised if the ECNP President-Elect Guy Goodwin and Past-President David Nutt were the Cambridge parties mentioned in this article (Cambridge meaning the British Cambridge, not the Boston Cambridge) but could be some of those jerks at Harvard who have always been pharma cheerleaders.

[Barbarannamated]

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