Pfizer begins work on drugs to treat autism

Pfizer Inc, the world’s largest drugmaker, has begun developing treatments for autism, its head of research and development said on Friday.

The company has formed a new, 14-member research group, called the Autism Spectrum Disorders unit, that is based in Groton, Connecticut.

“We’ve always been interested in this area but we didn’t have the targets,” said Martin Mackay, Pfizer’s president of global research and development, in an interview. “Now we do.”

Drug targets are typically proteins linked with a disease, and while Mackay declined to identify the targets for competitive reasons, he said the research is still at a very early stage.

Autism is typically diagnosed in childhood and is characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication and a tendency towards unusual interests or behaviors.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism is the second most serious developmental disability after mental retardation. Studies have shown it affects two to seven children in 1,000.

The unit, which was created in January by three Pfizer employees who have been personally touched by the condition, is part of Pfizer’s neuroscience division.

Neuroscience, and particularly Alzheimer’s disease, has become a major area of focus for Pfizer, which has agreed to acquire Wyeth for about $68 billion.

If completed, the Wyeth acquisition will give Pfizer a stake in bapineuzumab, once considered the most promising Alzheimer’s drug in development.

“When we decided Alzheimer’s disease was an area we had to hit hard, we decided we couldn’t grow organically so had to make acquisitions,” Mackay said.

While bapineuzumab was not the reason for acquiring Wyeth—it is still a potentially important drug, he said, and only one of a growing number of Alzheimer’s treatments Pfizer is building into its pipeline.

Still, some of the gloss has come off bapineuzumab since a mid-stage trial showed that while it helped some patients with a certain genetic profile, it raised the risk of potentially serious side effects in the brain.

Mackay acknowledged that some have been disappointed with the drug but said he has learned not to get too excited nor too negative about an experimental product until the results are in.

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* Pfizer starts work on autism research

* Says new unit comprises 14 researchers

* Says part of emphasis on neuroscience

By Toni Clarke

BOSTON (Reuters)