Almost 100 Alzheimer's drugs in research

American pharmaceutical companies are researching 98 medicines for dementia, mostly Alzheimer's, a report released Monday by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the industry's main lobbying organization, said.

All are either in clinical trials or are being reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, PhRMA said.

The work shows a major commitment to Alzheimer's, given that each new medicine costs, on average, more than $1 billion to research and develop, BusinesWire.com reported.

Without medical progress, healthcare costs related to Alzheimer's could reach $1.08 trillion by 2050, an estimate by the Alzheimer's Association says.

"Alzheimer's disease is the healthcare crisis of our generation -- and our children's generation," said George Vradenburg, chairman of USAgainstAlzheimers, a patient advocacy group.

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