I can extract side effects.

Chapter 76 Chen Yiqing's heart knot, Alzheimer's disease

Wei Kang's heart was shocked, and he suddenly understood why the other party had so many questions.

Alzheimer's disease!

It turned out that this was the answer the other party wanted to know in the end.

Alzheimer's disease, commonly known as senile dementia, is a chronic neurodegenerative disease with slow onset and worsening over time. The real cause is still unknown.

Research has linked the disease to two proteins that accumulate abnormally in the brain: tau and beta-amyloid.

The most mainstream inference is that β-amyloid accumulates first, triggering neuronal synaptic dysfunction, hyperphosphorylation of Tau protein and secondary inflammatory response, leading to neuronal degeneration and death, thereby engulfing functions such as memory and cognition.

As people age, some people experience a buildup of beta-amyloid plaques in their brains, which are particularly abundant in the hippocampus (a region associated with learning and memory functions) in Alzheimer's patients.As a result, most current clinical trials are targeting β-amyloid in an attempt to break down or prevent the formation of β-amyloid plaques.

随着人类预期寿命的增加，全球每3秒就约有1人患阿尔茨海默症，预计到2050年全球阿尔茨海默症患者人群将以每20年递增1倍的速度增长至1.52亿，成为全球范围内亟待解决的医学问题和社会问题。

According to Eagle Nation data alone, the cost of related treatments could reach $2018 trillion in 1 and reach $2030 trillion in 2.

At present, it is considered that the most effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease is to enhance cholinergic neurotransmission in the brain and reduce the hydrolysis of acetylcholine (ACh); in addition, protecting nerve cells from Aβ-induced cell damage and apoptosis is of great importance for prevention and treatment. Alzheimer's also has a positive effect.

However, there is still no drug that can completely cure the pathogenesis, and existing drugs can only relieve symptoms.

The research and development of new drugs for Alzheimer's disease has almost become a dead end in the medical field. No new drugs have been approved for many years, and no drugs that can completely cure the disease have appeared so far.

There is currently a targeted drug on the market in China. Although it largely fills the gap in domestic drugs, from a global perspective, the research and development of new drugs for Alzheimer's disease is still grim.

Over the years, global pharmaceutical companies have invested huge funds in the research and development of Alzheimer's disease drugs, however, most of them ended in failure.

Previous research reports have shown that from 1998 to 2017, 146 Alzheimer's drugs worldwide have failed clinically, with a clinical failure rate as high as 97.3%.Among them, 40% failed in early clinical trials (Phase 0, Phase I, Phase I/II), 39% failed in mid-stage clinical trials (Phase II, Phase II/III), and 18% failed in late clinical trials.

International pharmaceutical giants, including Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly, Roche, Merck, and AstraZeneca, have all failed in clinical trials.

At present, the R&D pipelines of major companies in the world are almost all developing pathways based on the two theoretical foundations of "β-amyloid hypothesis" and "Tau protein hypothesis". However, due to too many failure cases, especially BACE and Aβ The high failure rate on the target makes the β-amyloid hypothesis constantly questioned from academic to clinical to pharmaceutical.

A few years ago, Pfizer, the world's largest pharmaceutical company, publicly issued a statement announcing that they would end the ongoing early clinical trials of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, and completely stop all research projects on related neurological diseases.

But even if Pfizer completely withdraws, Roche, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly, Takeda and other companies are still insisting on the research and development of Alzheimer's disease drugs.

Some pharmaceutical companies in China have also started research and development of new drugs for Alzheimer's disease.

Because, in the response to Alzheimer's disease, the successful development of new drugs means a huge market worth trillions of dollars.

The research and development of new drugs for Alzheimer's disease is extremely difficult. Even the international giants with outstanding research and development capabilities feel difficult. Facing the rapidly rising research and development costs and no progress, they have made their own choices.

There is no doubt that Alzheimer's disease will become an alchemy stone that all pharmaceutical companies will face.

When those pharmaceutical giants are hesitant to move forward, only the cutting-edge pharmaceutical companies that have shown a fearless and adventurous spirit and put all their eggs in one basket can earn a piece of the world and sit on the new Iron Throne.

Alzheimer's disease is not only a terminal illness, but also has a huge impact on society.

Because the vast majority of patients are unable to take care of themselves and need young and middle-aged labor for care, this drag on the family and society is undoubtedly devastating.

Especially in the future, human beings are about to enter an aging society. There are fewer and fewer young and middle-aged people, and they still need to take care of the elderly at home. If the elderly suffer from Alzheimer's disease, the upcoming long-term care will be much more terrifying than cancer .

Wei Kang suddenly remembered that Pfizer announced to stop the research and development project for this disease a few years ago.

Combined with Chen Yiqing's experience at Pfizer, he immediately understood why the other party still left after being promoted.

Probably completely disappointed with a pharmaceutical giant like Pfizer.

Presumably, the Pfizer incident was a real sensation at the time.

Because its actions pose a difficult question to society.

Every pharmaceutical company, especially the absolute leader in the pharmaceutical field, will face a social problem.

What role should they play in the development of drugs for some incurable diseases or rare diseases?
Savior or Reaper?
On this issue, no one can stay out of it. Every pharmaceutical company is deep in the whirlpool and is facing a difficult new situation.

That is, the balance between the rising cost of new drug development and the decreasing success rate has long been out of balance.

People pondered silently and began to seek new breakthroughs.

Wei Kang also had his own thoughts on this.

At that time, he felt that maybe the major pharmaceutical giants should invest financial and material resources in basic theoretical research that might be doomed to be silent?

When there is a major breakthrough in basic theoretical research, maybe the solution to Alzheimer's disease will be a matter of course.

Numerous examples in history have proved the correctness of doing so.

But he was only a student at the time, and the idea was only fleeting in his mind.

He never thought that a few years later, he would be sitting in an office and in charge of an emerging pharmaceutical giant.

And the company's future R&D director will ask questions about Alzheimer's disease.

He thought of Chen Yiqing's later experience.

After Chen Yiqing resigned from Pfizer, he immediately returned to China to participate in a domestic pharmaceutical company's new drug research and development project for Alzheimer's disease.

This domestic pharmaceutical company named Green Sunshine later made a major breakthrough in this project, and a new drug has been launched and entered the medical insurance.

Although the curative effect has not been widely verified, it at least fills in the gaps in related fields in China.

He couldn't help being a little curious, why did Chen Yiqing continue to ask himself such a question after the previous company had developed a new drug?

"Dr. Chen, you have already asked many questions, so before I answer, I would like to ask you a question."

Chen Yiqing regained his composure in an instant: "I know what you want to ask. If it is related to Green Sunshine, I can disclose some information for the sake of our chat, but I need you to keep it a secret, because I don't want to cause any trouble."

"This company hired me to research and develop new drugs for Alzheimer's disease. It mainly used my name to endorse with my authoritative status in Pfizer, so as to apply for state subsidies and attract investment from all parties."

"In the beginning, I did agree with their approach and was happy to stand for them."

"However, later I gradually realized that something was wrong. I was slowly pushed out of this project, and all the R&D personnel under me were transferred away, and other project teams were formed."

"And I didn't know anything about the content of their new project. I was in the dark and lost control of all R&D matters."

"Hehe," Chen Yiqing smiled miserably: "Later, when the so-called new drug came into the market, I realized that my life had become a joke."

"I can only leave sadly. Since then, I have lost trust in all pharmaceutical companies and have been staying at home."

"If it wasn't for the invitation from Sanqing, I might have left the industry after a while."

"Maybe, doing pure experiments in university is the right destination for me." He said lightly, the unwillingness and sadness on his expression flashed away.

The indifference and alienation in his temperament returned, and the light in his eyes dimmed a little.

Wei Kang looked at him and sighed in his heart. He had an impulse to tell the other party that Sanqing was willing to shoulder his sense of responsibility to society and embark on this track.

This is not out of sympathy or pity, but a touch of feeling from my heart many years ago.

An idea back then can already be turned into reality.

Now he has the money and the ability to devote his financial resources to basic theoretical research that may be destined to be silent.

Now he still lacks people to invest in the research and development of new drugs for Alzheimer's disease, a social problem.

But before he promised everything, he had one more question.

"Dr. Chen, I can give you the answer, but you need to tell me one thing."

"I wonder what's really going on that makes you so obsessed with developing a new drug for Alzheimer's disease."

"Is it the personal reason you mentioned?"

(End of this chapter)