T
he corpse was already cold, but now it is well and truly buried: Researchers finally published the final results of the final clinical trial of Eli Lilly’s (LLY) experimental Alzheimer’s drug solanezumab. The bottom line — failure — has been known since Dr. Lawrence Honig of Columbia University unveiled the sad details at the 2016 Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease conference. But the reaction of outside experts, plus little asides in the New England Journal of Medicine paper, offer an intriguing glimpse into the sorry state of Alzheimer’s drug development:
What’s solanezumab?
It’s a monoclonal antibody that binds to beta-amyloid peptides and clears them from the brain, ideally before they form the fibrils that clump into the amyloid plaques that define Alzheimer’s. It doesn’t clear plaques themselves, nor restore the destroyed synapses or dying neurons that are responsible for disease’s catastrophic symptoms.
Unlock this article by subscribing to STAT Plus. Try it FREE for 30 days!
SUBSCRIBE TODAYWhat is it?
STAT Plus is a premium subscription that delivers daily market-moving biopharma coverage and in-depth science reporting from a team with decades of industry experience.
What's included?
- Authoritative biopharma coverage and analysis, interviews with industry pioneers, policy analysis, and first looks at cutting edge laboratories and early stage research
- Subscriber-only networking events and panel discussions across the country
- Monthly subscriber-only live chats with our reporters and experts in the field
- Discounted tickets to industry events and early-bird access to industry reports
About the Author
I ‘ll check
Why does continued defense of the amyloid hypothesis remind me of the Black Knight from Monty Python’s Holy Grail who never gives the fight as limb after limb is severed?
Hope researchers figure this one out sooner, rather than later. Why isn’t there more focus on what inflammatory factors cause Alzheimer’s and other dementias, and identifying and remediating them, instead of trying to reverse the process without turning off the sources?
Hi there the link to the NEJM paper isn’t working for me — do you mind sending a different link? Thanks
We modified the link. Try this one: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1312889
Pat Skerrett
STAT