Rethinking Alzheimer's: Mapping Out an Approval Process

Drug companies involved in Alzheimer's disease research are a little fed up with FDA. Some, like Wyeth, believe the agency should put Alzheimer's research higher up on its priority list and allow the use of surrogate endpoints for clinical trials. But FDA says that no validated surrogate exists for Alzheimer's, and until it has hard data from products in development, it is loath to recommend one. A recent reorganization of the agency's neurology group may provide an opening to press home those arguments.