Hello, everyone, and how are you today? We are just fine, thank you, despite a bit of road lag after taking a late-night drive to the town where our corporate nerve center is located. A change of pace is a good thing, of course, although we must now forage for cups of stimulation. Then again, this could be an adventure. Speaking of which, the news is always full of adventure. To prove the point, here are some tidbits. Hope your day is delightful and do keep in touch …
An Axovant Sciences (AXON) pill being tested to blunt Alzheimer’s failed in a late-stage clinical trial, STAT tells us. In the study involving more than 1,300 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s, the combination of intepirdine and Aricept failed to outpace the older drug alone, missing key goals of improving memory and physical function. The news wiped out about 70 percent of its market value in early-morning trading. The drug maker was worth more than $2.6 billion before the news of the failure.
Patient Services disclosed that it was contacted by federal authorities in connection with an investigation into financial support of out-of-pocket prescription drug costs, Reuters reports. The disclosure came after one of the charity’s donors, Aegerion Pharmaceuticals (AEGR), reached a settlement in which the feds claimed the drug maker illegally used the nonprofit to defray copayments for patients prescribed its Juxtapid cholesterol drug.
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Inteperdine should never have reached Phase 3. The intent-to-treat analysis is the gold standard, and was not positive in previous study. This would normally be a “no go” signal at end of phase 2, but these failed studies will continue as long as drug makers see AZ as the proverbial pot of gold.