Record number of drugs for mental illnesses currently in clinical trials or seeking FDA approval

From The NY Times:

There are a record 313 drugs under research and development to treat mental illness, the pharmaceutical manufacturers’ association says in a new report.

The drugs, either in clinical trials or seeking approval by the Food and Drug Administration, are being tested for conditions from Alzheimer’s to schizophrenia.

The largest number, 90, would treat forms of dementia, and 71 would treat depression. Other conditions include addiction, anxiety, eating and sleep disorders.

The report by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America lists the company, stage of experiment and contact information for each drug.

The National Institute of Mental Health said in a 2010 report: “An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.”

Mental health drugs have huge profit potential because the symptoms and diagnoses can be nebulous and subjective, and standards keep changing. But it can take years, hundreds of millions of dollars and scores of false starts to develop a new drug.

Robert Whitaker, a former reporter for The Boston Globe, challenges industry trends in his new book, “Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America.”

But for many, the drugs are truly hope-restoring. Including, perhaps, for the pharmaceutical industry as it seeks new products to replace older drugs losing patent protection.