Pfizer had clues its blockbuster drug could prevent Alzheimer's. Why didn't it tell the world?

[mfcorey1]

A team of researchers inside Pfizer made a startling find in 2015: The company’s blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis therapy Enbrel, a powerful anti-inflammatory drug, appeared to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 64 percent.

The results were from an analysis of hundreds of thousands of insurance claims. Verifying that the drug would actually have that effect in people would require a costly clinical trial — and after several years of internal discussion, Pfizer opted against further investigation and chose not to make the data public, the company confirmed.

Researchers in the company’s division of inflammation and immunology urged Pfizer to conduct a clinical trial on thousands of patients, which they estimated would cost $80 million, to see if the signal contained in the data was real, according to an internal company document obtained by The Washington Post.

“Enbrel could potentially safely prevent, treat and slow progression of Alzheimer’s disease,’’ said the document, a PowerPoint slide show that was prepared for review by an internal Pfizer committee in February 2018.

The company told The Post that it decided during its three years of internal reviews that Enbrel did not show promise for Alzheimer’s prevention because the drug does not directly reach brain tissue. It deemed the likelihood of a successful clinical trial to be low. A synopsis of its statistical findings prepared for outside publication, it says, did not meet its “rigorous scientific standards.’’

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/health-news/pfizer-had-clues-its-blockbuster-drug-could-prevent-alzheimers-why-didnt-it-tell-the-world/ar-AACoIHv?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout

[democratisphere]

1. Why does everything associated with healthcare cost so GD much?

Healthcare is an environment of routine price gouging yet it is rarely talked about and zero is done about it. What an out of control mess.

[woodsprite]

2. And TrumPutin wants to spread it to the UK

And I’m sure as many other places he can think of.

[democratisphere]

4. Healthcare has actually been weaponized to financially destroy America.

As you have pointed out, other countries will follow in the destruction. So much of this crap we do to ourselves, while our adversaries sit back and smile.

[uponit7771]

3. At least they admit it's 90% about money which us tax payers pay an aweful lot of

[ProfessorPlum]

12. taxpayers don't pay for clinical trials

[CabalPowered]

14. Yes, they do.

NIH provides millions in grants every year. Pfizer would get a grant, it just wouldn't cover the entire expense.

https://www.nih.gov/health-information/nih-clinical-research-trials-you

[ProfessorPlum]

17. Those are small research grants for academics and small labs

they aren't grants for large clinical trials by publicly traded pharmaceutical companies. Those costs are borne by shareholders and revenues from sales.

NIH supports a ton of academic research, often things that eventually lead to drugs, but they don't do R&D or clinical trials for drug companies. NIH grant programs are super important, though, and should be funded much more than they are.

[Farmer-Rick]

5. Ah capitalism, it makes people dying very cost effective.

Do you want a peaceful, healthy and equitable society? Or do you want capitalism? The choice has been made.

[greymattermom]

6. This is very interesting to me, personally.

A major part of my scientific career was examining the role of inflammation in the aging brain, and some older work I did is getting cited a lot now. Now that this is known, NIA should fund a trial of generic TNF inhibitors.

[mopinko]

9. interesting to me also, as crohn's runs in my family.

as do bizarro auto-immune problems. my niece is on embrel. 2 of my daughters have plaque psoriasis.

seems like the patent on embrel should be getting close to running out? these biologics have such promise.
and as expensive as they are, when you compare them to the cost of treating people w these diseases, even just the medical costs, they are very cost effective. the human costs? everyone should be able to get these treatments. we need to care for our human capital. period.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

10. Very interesting. Would love to hear any of your

personal theories.

[RoadMan]

7. so they can charge 50 gazillion per pill?

probably can make more money keeping people going back to doctors though.

[Dennis Donovan]

8. I'm sure they make far more $ with meds that treat the effects of Alzheimer's...

...than with one that could prevent it. It was a business decision.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

11. I never knew how much it costs to develop a new

drug. The $80 mill cost to have researched this Enbrel possibility is chump change. Simple Google search showing that it's a subject of debate...but could cost a billion + to develop a single drug. Evidently since Enbrel already developed, cost significantly lower.

[ProfessorPlum]

13. not sure how you figure that

since the population of people who might get and might want to prevent AD is vast compared to the number of people with active AD.

[ancianita]

15. It didn't tell the world because even doing 64% Good doesn't pass muster in for-profit pharma.

The goal is steady profit, not a cure that could end their sales down the road.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

16. K&R