Pfizer begins work on drugs to treat autism

Pfizer Inc, the world's largest drug-maker, has begun developing treatments for autism, its head of research and development said yesterday.

The company has formed a new, 14-member research group, called the Autism Spectrum Disorders unit, that is based in Groton, Connecticut.

"We've always been interested in this area but we didn't have the targets," said Martin Mackay, Pfizer's president of global research and development, in an interview. "Now we do."

Drug targets are typically proteins linked with a disease, and while Mr Mackay declined to identify the targets for competitive reasons, he said the research is still at a very early stage.