Alzheimer's Disease

Victims of Alzheimer’s disease include more than 4,000,000 Americans. Over the next 20 years, as the U.S. population ages, that number is expected to double. This tragic disease is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the progressive death of brain cells. Usually, the earliest recognized symptom is impairment of short-term memory. Gradually, the memory disturbances worsen to severe mental dysfunction until the patient can no longer care for him or herself. A chronic, unremitting and ultimately fatal condition, Alzheimer’s may progress rapidly, but can take up to 20 years to run its course.

Although tremendous advances have been made in the last decade, the underlying cause of Alzheimer’s disease is not well understood. It is a difficult disease to study — diagnosis is not certain and the laboratory and animal models that are available mimic only certain facets of the human disease. The discovery and development of drugs to prevent the disease, or to slow or stop its progression, is therefore likely to be a long-term prospect. Meanwhile, a substantial need persists for drugs to address the memory loss and reasoning difficulties that characterize Alzheimer’s disease.