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Access to a small number of data packages for candidate agents has already been attained and interest in some of the 9 drugs so far collected is already apparent.
Over the past three years, The Medicine Chests Initiative has been taking shape, the purpose of which is to gain access to ‘failed’ compounds and facilitate their reinvestigation, ideally in clinical experimental studies. Indeed, should it be necessary, resynthesis of interesting compounds is being and could be considered (albeit via. research grants) should an agent no longer be physically available. As these agents have already been administered in patients, toxicological studies are unlikely to be needed, as toxicology reports are included in the Medicines Chest repository.
As Dr Ann Hayes, UK, explained, access to a small number of data packages for candidate agents has already been attained and interest in some of the 9 drugs so far collected is already apparent.
Dr Trevor Robbins, UK, outlined how he has applied for a research grant to investigate whether a D1 receptor antagonist previously developed in Alzheimer’s disease might be used both to further investigate the basic science underlying D1 receptor antagonism and also the effect of this drug on cognition – an area of research in which it has not previously been investigated in clinical patients but one now considered worth of pursuit.
To find out more about the Medicines Chest and the agents available go to https://www.ecnp.eu/projects-initiatives/ECNP-medicines-chest.aspx
What does a pharmaceutical company do with a psychotherapeutic drug once it fails in clinical trials? As often as not, it bins it.
A: Cognitive deficits are really important to patients and this is often what they come in to the office to report – particularly when they have seen an improvement in their mood. Many of my patients think that these residual effects are actually related to their antidepressant treatment.
These can be residual symptoms that interfere with functional activity. In daily life, this may be seen at work and at home, where memory is affected, with patients not remembering what tasks they have to do.
A: My strategies for dealing with cognitive symptoms in patients with depression include trying to use an antidepressant with wider aspects – or I may use addition drug therapies or cognitive remedial strategies. Not all patients are the same and it needs an individual approach.
An interview with Dr Narcis Cardoner, Psychiatrist, Bellvitge Hospital, Barcelona, ES about cognitive symptoms of depression