Status of Alzheimer’s Research and Anavex 2-73
By now, it’s clear that for most government agencies, (FDA, et al.), pharmaceutical company officers, and neurological researchers, the only acceptable explanation for the cause of Alzheimer’s is amyloid plaque and tau-tangle accumulations. The targeting for treatment of any other cellular processes or functions is an on-going professional anathema.
Decades of exemplary careers and billions of research dollars have been committed to the protein waste explanation for Alzheimer’s treatment. Presently, any other plausible approach, particularly in the form of an easily-synthesized small protein that can be orally administered, effectively crossing the blood/brain barrier, evoking no serious adverse events, and demonstrably stabilizing or reducing Alzheimer’s symptoms is arrogantly rejected. Too simple. It is a profound threat to entire neurology research careers. Anavex’s 2-73 molecule flies in the face and intellect of the most brilliant neurology scientists on the planet. They, of all people, know that such a molecule just can’t work; that sooner or later, it will be further proven that the only way to effectively treat Alzheimer’s is to, some how, remove the disease’s waste proteins. Period.
Of course, the profound multitude of failures in that approach in the last quarter-century will have no bearing on future Alzheimer’s research. Researchers will persist. That’s all they know. Work harder, longer, with greater expenditures, and, somehow, a solution will appear.
But, quietly, that’s not what clinical neurologists tell their Alzheimer’s patients and their care givers (and bill-payers). “I’m sorry. Right now there really isn’t much we can do for your Alzheimer’s, other than to monitor its progression. We’ll try to make things as comfortable as possible. But we have no magic pill. Please consider donating for more Alzheimer’s research.”
The implications of all of this?
External forces must come into play. In order for ossified Alzheimer’s treatment research structures to be broken, external parties must exert useful, new pressures on researchers and their legal governing body, the FDA. Two major power communities must come into play: widespread public opinion expressions, and well-articulated legislative mandates. Articulate letters of opinion from citizens need to appear in all of the usual media, and particularly, federal senators and representatives need to be forcing the issue. The words “Anavex 2-73" needs to be heard, understood, and discussed by a broad band of Americans.
Congressional hearings may need to be held, letting all parties understand the cogent issues. New legislation may be required.
Without any of this, things, clearly, will continue as they have.
