Drug Development

Position & Issues

• • Food and Drug Administration and Drug Review
  • Representation of Older Patients in Clinical Trials

Related Events

Related Publications

• Alliance in the News, Feature Article
  Following Katz at FDA
  
  February 11, 2013 | Steve Usdin, Washington Editor
  Related topics: Alzheimer's Disease  Drug Development  Policy  
  
  

  On February 11, 2013, Steve Usdin, Washington Editor of BioCentury, published an article in BioCentury The Bernstein Report on Business focused on the future of the FDA’s Division of Neurology Products following the expected retirement later this year of the current Division Director, Russell Katz, M.D. Representatives from the biopharmaceutical industry and the patient advocacy community were interviewed for this article, including Daniel Perry, President & CEO of the Alliance for Aging research and Chair of the ACT-AD Coalition. Mr. Perry highlighted ACT-AD’s positive relationship with Dr. Katz and expressed hope that Dr. Katz’s successor will approach the review of therapies for Alzheimer’s disease with similar openness and flexibility.

  To read the BioCentury article, click here.
  

• Get Mad Column
  Helping Stop a Devastating Disease: The ACT-AD Coalition Continues its Important Work in Alzheimer's
  
  Winter 2013
  Related topics: Access to Breakthroughs    Alzheimer's Disease  Drug Development  Health  Policy  
  
  
  Alzheimer's disease is a slow, dehumanizing, and fatal disease that strikes 1 in 8 people over the age of 65. While it's typically thought of as a disease that affects memory, it goes well beyond memory loss and eventually leads to death.
  
  
• Science in the Spotlight
  Muscle Loss & Aging: Combatting Sarcopenia and Lost Independence
  
  Winter 2013 | Alliance for aging Research
  Related topics: Access to Breakthroughs    Aging Research  Drug Development  Geriatric Training  Health  
  
  
  Typically, our muscles grow larger and stronger as we age. That is, until about the time we celebrate our 30th birthdays. That’s when most of us start down the other side of the hill and begin to gradually lose our muscle mass, strength, and function. While it’s usually not very noticeable in our 30s and 40s, the loss increases exponentially with age and tends to accelerate between the ages of 65 and 80.
  
  This progressive loss of muscle mass is called sarcopenia, and it’s found to play a major role in the increased frailty, disability, and functional impairment that too often come with aging. While sarcopenia is a condition that is not uncommon with age, we don’t have to just sit back and accept it. There are things we can do to slow its progress, and current research promises to make that trip over-the-hill less traumatic.

More Related Publications »