Drug development for CNS disorders: strategies for balancing risk and reducing attrition

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Published on: February 11, 2019

Menelas N Pangalos1, Lee E Schechter, Orest Hurko

  • 1Wyeth Research, Neuroscience Discovery, CN800, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, USA. pangalm@wyeth.com

Nature Reviews. Drug Discovery
|June 30, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Developing new central nervous system (CNS) drugs is crucial for treating prevalent disorders like Alzheimer's disease. This article explores innovative strategies to improve CNS drug discovery and reduce development risks.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pharmacology
  • Drug Discovery

Background:

  • Central nervous system (CNS) disorders are widespread, severe, and inadequately treated, impacting patient quality of life and healthcare costs.
  • Despite the need, few novel CNS therapies have been approved recently, highlighting challenges in drug development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current approaches for discovering drugs targeting CNS disorders.
  • To discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different CNS drug discovery strategies.
  • To propose methods for balancing risk and reducing attrition in CNS drug development.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of existing and emerging CNS drug discovery methodologies.
  • Analysis of case studies from neurological and psychiatric disorder research.
  • Discussion of risk-benefit assessments in pharmaceutical R&D.

Main Results:

  • Identified diverse strategies employed in CNS drug discovery.
  • Evaluated the merits and limitations of various therapeutic approaches.
  • Highlighted the need for enhanced R&D productivity in the central nervous system field.

Conclusions:

  • Innovative strategies are essential to overcome challenges in CNS drug discovery.
  • Balancing risk and reducing attrition are key to successful development of novel CNS therapies.
  • Improved R&D productivity can lead to better treatments for devastating neurological and psychiatric conditions.

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