This Friday, data from 4,000 patients across 11 failed Alzheimer s drug clinical trials will be publicly available for a group of major pharmaceutical companies who have agreed to collaborate and pool information in order to better understand how the disease progresses.
The coalition dispels prevailing notions that drug companies are always proprietary and not interested in sharing data. In this case, it is in everyone s best interest to share information that will benefit consumers, observes ACSH's Jeff Stier.
Numerous drugs have been approved for Alzheimer s, but so far, none have significantly delayed the disease s progression. This is frustrating for both the public as well as drug companies, says ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross. If by working together, pharmaceutical companies can increase efficiency and prevent each other from going down blind alleys, then they might be more successful.
This would save another drug company from going down another fruitless path, adds ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan.
