Pfizer is ending research for drugs to treat Alzheimer's and Parkinson's
Pfizer will no longer conduct research and development into finding new drugs to treat Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
The pharmaceutical company made the announcement on Saturday, and it estimates it will cut 300 jobs from its neuroscience discovery and early development programs, Reuters reports. Pfizer, along with GlaxoSmithKline and Eli Lilly, is part of the Dementia Discovery Fund; in 2012, it saw its drug bapineuzumab, made in partnership with Johnson & Johnson for people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's, fail in the second round of clinical trials.
Pfizer said it is redistributing the money it spends on research and is not changing the research and development funding for Lyrica, used to treat fibromyalgia, and tanezumab, marketed as a treatment for joint pain caused by osteoarthritis.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
'Many of us have warned for years of a rising ecofascist threat in response to climate chaos'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Is this the end of cigarettes?
Today's Big Question An FDA rule targets nicotine addiction
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
A beginner's guide to exploring the Amazon
The Week Recommends Trek carefully — and respectfully — in the world's largest rainforest
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor deal
Speed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US Steel
Speed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons merger
Speed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battle
Speed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bitcoin surges above $100k in post-election rally
Speed Read Investors are betting that the incoming Trump administration will embrace crypto
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Enron mystery: 'sick joke' or serious revival?
Speed Read 23 years after its bankruptcy filing, the Texas energy firm has announced its resurrection
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US charges Indian tycoon with bribery, fraud
Speed Read Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has been indicted by US prosecutors for his role in a $265 million scheme to secure solar energy deals
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Boeing machinists approve contract, end strike
Speed Read The company's largest union approved the new contract offer, ending a seven-week strike
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published