19 September 2012 Last updated at 13:13 ET By Adam Brimelow Health Correspondent, BBC News

A leading health research charity says drugs companies may "retreat" from dementia research without more support.

Alzheimer's Research UK says more government hep is needed to ensure the industry does not "retreat" from the challenge of finding new drugs.

The warning follows disappointing results in recent clinical trials.

The pharmaceutical industry body, the ABPI, says there are over 200 medicines under development for Alzheimer's.

It is estimated that more than 800,00 people in the UK have dementia. The majority have Alzheimer's Disease.

The numbers affected are growing fast, and the search for new treatments ever-more urgent.

But this summer two big trials have reported disappointing results. The drugs - bapineuzumab and solanezumab - failed to show benefits that researchers had hoped to see.

Alzheimer's Research UK fears companies may decide that putting resources into dementia is too risky. The charity's science director, Dr Eric Karran, said the trial setbacks were "very disappointing". He warned that companies may be deterred from investing in dementia.

"If you're running a business and you have options to find important new medicines in cancer, in diabetes or in neuroscience inevitably I think you have to place your bets where ultimately you will get a better chance of a return on your investment."

Originally posted here:
Dementia research 'is in danger'