LLY - Should You Buy These 3 Stocks Tackling Alzheimer's Disease?
People are living longer and longer lives these days, but sadly, that also means more people are living with -- and dying from -- Alzheimer's disease (AD), which is marked by a serious decline in mental ability. According to the Alzheimer's Association, there are more than 5 million people in the United States with Alzheimer's. That number is expected to nearly triple by 2050.
There's no cure for the disease, which is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Pharmaceutical companies are exploring ways to slow the condition's progress, treat its symptoms, and better diagnose it. One report notes that sales of Alzheimer's medications hit $3.5 billion in 2018 and are expected to have a 7.2% compound annual growth rate through 2030.
According to the Alzheimer's Association, a healthy brain has 100 billion nerve cells, or neurons. The brain has certain proteins, known as beta-amyloid and tau proteins, that help stabilize the nerve cells. However, in Alzheimer's patients, when fragments, or plaques, of beta-amyloid and misshapen or tangled tau proteins build up, they may hinder communication between neurons and contribute to cell death by keeping key nutrients from repairing neurons.