A Double Failure of Alzheimer's Drugs
Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) and Roche (OTC: RHHBY) announced the failure of a trial for two monoclonal antibody drugs for Alzheimer's disease, throwing further doubt on the approach of treating the disease by attacking amyloid plaques in the brain.
The trial was conducted by Washington University and compared Lilly's solanezumab and Roche's gantenerumab with a placebo in patients that have a rare genetic mutation that causes early-onset Alzheimer's disease. The study was designed to see if the progression of cognitive decline in Alzheimer's could be slowed with anti-amyloid drugs if treatment was started very early in the course of the disease. Subjects in the trial were cognitively normal or only mildly impaired at the start of the trial, and were followed for a minimum of four years. Both companies reported that their drugs failed to meet the study's primary endpoints.
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Source Fool.com
