Drug discovery: a combined approach (Accelerating Medicines Partnership)

I’ve been struck repeatedly over the past decade by how dismal the pipeline looks for new drugs, particularly in the domain of brain diseases. Yesterday NIH and some of the biggest drug companies announced a new combined approach at the National Press Club, story here. This is a big project: $230M –even hefty when compared to EU standards. The lions share of the money will be spent on Alzheimer’s disease.

NIH to the rescue on the drug pipeline

ScienceInsider reports on NIH’s new initiative to develop drugs for orphan diseases. Money quote:

NIH leaders today announced a $120 million, 5-year plan to set up a drug development service center at the agency. The center’s chemists and toxicologists will modify promising compounds until they’re ready to be tested in people. The focus will be on rare and neglected diseases.