[adorno]

THis story doesn't make sense to me.

Makes sense to me. A couple of ways.

First off, people would be asking to get the medication to help prevent Alzheimer's and perhaps doctors would be tempted to prescribe it for that purpose. It wasn't developed for that purpose.

Secondly, Pfizer might have planned (just my guess) to develop a version of the drug for Alzheimer's and other purposes. That way, they would have TWO drugs in the market, making perhaps twice as much or more.

Thirdly, it they had acknowledged the secondary benefits from Embrel, who's to say that other drug makers might not have jumped at the opportunity and beaten Pfizer to market with the anti-Alzheimer's medicine?

Just my guesses, and I'm pretty sure the shareholders would have gotten on Pfizer's case if they had allowed other drug makers to beat them to market with such a product.

[RummyChick]

Article says they were urged INTERNALLY to do clinical trials and rejected it.

Amgen has a longer hold on the patent so maybe they will work on it.