Alzheimer's drug sales "set to more than double" by 2010

Sales in the leading world markets of Alzheimer's disease treatmentswill grow from more than $600 million last year to over $1.6 billion by 2010, forecasts a new study from Decision Resources.

Driving sales in the period will be: increased recognition, diagnosis and treatment of AD; a rise in the number of prevalent cases as the general population ages; greater use of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors for severe cases; the introduction of new therapies (eg additional AChEIs, other noncholinergic neurotransmitter modulators and a nerve growth factor agonist); and increased use of adjuvant therapies.

The AChEIs are the first AD therapies to show evidence of delaying disease symptom progression and are thus the preferred therapy, says DR. They will continue to dominate the market through 2000-2010 but are not effective for all patients. This factor, coupled with AChEIs' inability to completely halt disease progression or profoundly restore function to patients, represents the area of greatest unmet need, and thus the greatest opportunity, in AD treatment, it says.