| dc.description.abstract | In the past few years, several high profiled pharmaceutical companies have decided to shut down major
research activities within the central nervous system (CNS) area. For example, in December 2011
Novartis announced that the company is closing its neuroscience facility in Basel, Switzerland, where
Novartis is headquartered (Abbott, 2011). It follows similar moves by GlaxoSmithKline and
AstraZeneca, both based in the UK, which in 2010 announced the closure of major parts of their neuroscience
research divisions globally (Jack, Financial Times, 4 February 2010). Also companies primarily
based in the USA, Pfizer and Merck, as well as the French company Sanofi, have pulled back on research
into brain disorders. This development is still proceeding, as e.g. AstraZeneca closed their CNS/pain
centres (Fiercebiotech, press release, 2 February 2012). Several of the companies have launched smaller
new initiatives based on studies of genetics and biomarkers, but as mental disorders such as unipolar
depression impose the largest disease burden worldwide, e.g. 6.2% disability-adjusted life year of
total (WHO, 2008), and current treatments do not work particularly well for many patients, this has
obviously raised a number of concerns related to how the future developments should be carried out,
and whether the genetic approach may be sufficient. In June 2012, the International College of
Neuropsychopharmacology (http://www.cinp.org) hosted an international workshop in order to discuss
and consider the consequences and implications of the withdrawal of these research activities. This
paper presents the problem background together with a summary of the viewpoints of the invited speakers
and recommendations for future intervention. | en_US |
