Business World: "The Brain Industry"

From The Seattle Times:

Biotech Watch: Biotech companies scramble to develop brain-related products
By Steve Johnson
Knight Ridder Newspapers
The Seattle Times
Monday, July 25, 2005

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The prospect of a billion people nearing the age when they risk brain-related illnesses like Alzheimer's disease or chronic pain is helping fuel a costly scramble by biotechnology firms to find solutions.

The San Francisco Bay Area has more than 30 companies, out of about 300 worldwide, developing brain-related products for everything from sleep and anxiety disorders to multiple sclerosis and stroke. Much of the focus of "the brain industry," as it is dubbed, is on finding treatments for ailments likely to hit aging baby boomers.

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The article discusses some successes and challenges to success in this field, including vignettes about Saegis Pharmaceuticals (Alzheimer disease and cognitive loss), Micrus Endovascular (surgical interventions), BioCentral Systems, and Pain Therapeutics.
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Anthony H. Risser | neuroscience | neuropsychology | brain