Pfizer Inc announced that it would stop trying to discover new drugs for Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. This decision according to the company however will not affect later-stage drug development for pain treatments Lyrica and tanezumab, or research into drugs for rare neurological diseases.

In past years Pfizer has much invested to develop treatments for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s because of the huge need and because a treatment for this conditions could have multibillion-dollar sales potential. However, all the the promising research have at the end failed to work.

Some other big drugmakers, such as AstraZeneca PLC, Biogen Inc. and Eli Lilly & Co., keep pursuing Alzheimer’s treatment despite setbacks,

Much of the early drug research is now in the hands of start-ups established in the past few years, including some led by former executives and scientists from big drug companies.

Source: The Wall Street Journal