Neurogen, a Connecticut company, was formed a dozen years ago to develop a treatment to calm anxieties without the drowsiness and risk of addiction associated with drugs like Valium and Xanax. By studying the messenger system, Neurogen discovered a way to affect the part of the GABA system responsible for controlling anxiety while leaving the rest of it intact. Its drug, NGD 91-3, is now being tested in humans by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. ''It was clearly the case that we were trying to improve on existing therapies, but the improvement came with the better understanding of biology,'' said Jim Cassella, Neurogen's vice president of clinical research and development. The need is there, Paulfreyman said. So is the financial incentive.
Mental illness affects millions of people nationwide.
Research in mental illness has lagged because of the stigma attached to the diseases, because the complexity of the diseases, and because the lack of understanding, he said. Companies need a place to start. In the past, it has been serendipity and hunches. The future is very promising.