How Do We Re-Engage the Pharmaceutical Industry in Research on Serotonin and Psychiatric Disorders?

Abstract

The Serotonin Club celebrated its silver jubilee in 2012 with a meeting in Montpellier, France. During the past 25 years, great advances have been made in our understanding of the pharmacology of serotonin receptors and the roles of this neurotransmitter in psychiatric disorders. Most of these advances have involved effective collaborations between academic and industrial scientists. In recent years, however, this picture has changed, as many of the major pharmaceutical companies have pulled out of in-house psychopharmacology research into the major psychiatric disorders, despite an increasing worldwide burden of these disorders and a clear need for improved treatment, particularly in terms of improved efficacy. This Viewpoint investigates the reasons for the decline in industrial involvement and makes proposals as to how future academic research on serotonin function in the brain might reawaken industry interest in serotonin-based research. Briefly, academic preclinical scientists need to alter their experimental approach to research into the psychiatric disorders. This will require a move from a single-target approach to understanding the complex neuronal pathways the cause diverse functional and behavioral outputs, using novel technological advances and the development of animal models with enhanced translational values. It is hoped that such an approach will reveal novel drug targets and thus re-engage the pharmaceutical industry in research that will result in improved human health and social well-being.