Lundbeck, a global pharmaceutical company specializing in brain disorders, has joined the Global Alzheimer’s Platform (GAP) to help accelerate the development of new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. GAP is a research initiative that aims to reduce the time and costs of Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials, develop an infrastructure that promotes innovation, and assure international collaboration on Alzheimer’s disease treatments.

Led by the Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer’s Disease (CEOi) and the New York Academy of Sciences, GAP is driven through collaboration among pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, nonprofit patient advocacy organizations and public funding. As Lundbeck develops new treatments for people living with Alzheimer’s disease, GAP’s efforts will be particularly impactful.

“Lundbeck’s engagement in the leadership of the GAP Initiative greatly strengthens our efforts to bring private, public and academic leaders together to accelerate the development and delivery of innovative Alzheimer’s treatments to those with or at risk for this disease,”  said George Vradenburg, chairman and chief executive officer of GAP.

GAP is establishing a global, standing, trial-ready platform that may decrease clinical testing cycle times by two years or more and should reduce costs. The platform would promote efficiency and uniformity in trial populations through large, well-characterized, trial-ready cohorts, certified clinical trial sites and an adaptive proof-of-concept trial mechanism.

Lundbeck currently has three compounds in development, including two phase III investigational therapies to address symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and a phase I vaccine candidate to potentially slow disease progression.

According to Alzheimer’s Disease International, the disease is estimated to affect 5.4 million people in the U.S. and nearly 44 million people worldwide. The prevalence of Alzheimer’s is projected to reach 135 million by 2050.