The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation Mourns the Passing of Melvin R. Goodes

The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) mourns the passing of Melvin R. Goodes, a pioneering pharmaceutical executive and member of the ADDF’s Board of Governors who has made a profound impact on both the ADDF and the larger Alzheimer’s field through his philanthropy and establishment of the Goodes Prize.

Mel had a distinguished career in the pharmaceutical industry, serving as a former CEO of Warner-Lambert Company where he played a key role in bringing lifechanging drugs like Lipitor and Tacrine, the first treatment to address Alzheimer’s symptoms, to market. When he learned of his own diagnosis with Alzheimer’s, Mel made the courageous decision to use his deep knowledge of drug development to push Alzheimer’s science forward with the help of the ADDF. Together, he and his wife Nancy established the Melvin R. Goodes Prize for Excellence in Drug Development, which has been called the Nobel Prize of Alzheimer’s research.

Nancy, who also serves on the Board of Governors, has been a tireless advocate on behalf of Mel’s vision for the Goodes Prize, helping the raise the award to its current level of prestige while also caring for her husband with dignity and grace. Each year, the prize recognizes a pioneering scientist who has made an exceptional impact on the Alzheimer's field. The award and its recipients are so well respected that Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden and U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Sweden Erik Ramanathan joined the recent tenth anniversary celebration marking the incredible impact the Goodes Prize has had on the field over the past decade.

Mel’s legacy will be carried on by Nancy and the winners of the Goodes Prize, who are shaping the future of Alzheimer’s science and making breakthroughs that are bringing us closer to a cure for the millions of patients and families impacted by this disease around the world.