Eva Kohegyi

Dr. Eva Kohegyi specializes in research for medications in neurologic and psychiatric indications, including the development of treatments for patients with Alzheimer’s disease, Tourette’s disease, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other illnesses of the central nervous system. Today, she is responsible for several global clinical development programs at Otsuka. Dr. Kohegyi designs and implements clinical trial programs, and works to ensure the scientific integrity of research methodologies and the related submissions to regulatory authorities.

Alzheimer’s disease, for example, has few treatments options but the biopharmaceutical industry is tirelessly working to find ways to improve patients’ lives. It’s an exhausting process, says Dr. Kohegyi. “So many companies are trying to find a treatment for Alzheimer’s. All of the researchers are watching news reports and thinking, ‘Come on, anybody – any company – please just find a positive study. Just have a medication out there so that we know we are on the right path.’”

Dr. Kohegyi says that in an area like Alzheimer’s treatment, researchers may need fundamentally new models of the disease. It will likely take efforts from countless more scientists before a workable solution is found, but the rapid pace of innovation keeps Kohegyi hopeful.

“We are still here. We can still run new clinical studies, and we have brand-new opportunities with digital medicine, personalized treatment and artificial intelligence. With these new technologies, we can identify ways to conduct clinical research more efficiently, more effectively, and faster.”