(Reuters) – Eisai Co Ltd and Biogen Inc reported late-stage data from their Alzheimer’s disease drug lecanemab that showed it significantly slowed cognitive decline, a big win for patients after a long string of failures to find an effective treatment for the memory-robbing disease.
Options are limited as Biogen’s Aduhelm, the first new Alzheimer’s treatment in 20 years, has not been widely used due to severe limits on its coverage by Medicare and insurers. The following is a list of high profile Alzheimer’s disease trial failures:
Company Drug name Trial outcome Mechanism of
action
Roche crenezumab Although small A monoclonal
numerical antibody
differences targeting toxic
favored protein plaque
crenezumab, the in the brain
results were not known as beta
statistically amyloid to slow
significant and disease
potentially due progression.
to chance.
Biogen gosuranemab Drug failed to An antibody
meet any directed
efficacy goals against “tau”
in trial. proteins
believed to
play a role in
Alzheimer’s.
Roche and AC semorinemab The drug failed Targeted “tau”
Immune to slow proteins.
cognitive and
functional
decline in
trial.
Roche and Eli gantenerumab Combination Designed to
Lilly , failed to arrest neutralize
solanezumab cognitive beta-amyloid
decline in those plaques.
afflicted by
gene mutations.
Neurotrope bryostatin-1 Drug did not Designed to
Inc, now show any induce growth
called significant of synapses in
Synaptogenix difference in the brain and
Inc patients after prevent cell
13 weeks in a death.
mid-stage trial.
Merck & Co verubecestat Did A beta
not work in secretase
late-stage cleaving enzyme
trials in (BACE)
patients with inhibitor,
both very early which aims to
Alzheimer’s and prevent amyloid
those with mild- buildup.
to-moderate
Alzheimer’s.
Eli Lilly and solanezumab In a late-stage Targets
Co study, patients beta-amyloid,
treated with the Alzheimer’s
solanezumab did protein that
not experience a forms sticky
significantly plaques in the
greater slowing brain.
in cognitive
decline vs
placebo.
AstraZeneca, lanabecestat Companies Beta secretase
Eli Lilly discontinued cleaving enzyme
late-stage (BACE)
trials of the inhibitor,
drug after which aims to
independent prevent amyloid
committee buildup.
concluded they
were unlikely to
succeed.
Johnson & atabecestat BACE inhibitor
Johnson Stopped
development in
mid-stage trials
after
participants
showed serious
elevations of
liver enzymes.
The company
concluded the
risk outweighed
potential
benefits.
Novartis, CNP520 Companies BACE inhibitor
Amgen, Banner discontinued two
Alzheimer’s mid-to-late-stag
Institute e studies after
identifying
worsening of
some measures of
cognitive
function in
treatment
groups.
Pfizer Inc, bapineuzumab The drugmakers Beta-amyloid
Johnson & called off targeting
Johnson additional work monoclonal
after the drug antibody.
failed to help
patients with
mild-to-moderate
Alzheimer’s in
its second round
of clinical
trials.
Biogen and elenbecestat The companies BACE inhibitor
Eisai Co scrapped two
late-stage
studies in
patients with
early
Alzheimer’s,
after
independent
committee
recommended
discontinuation
due to an
unfavorable
risk-benefit
ratio.
(Reporting by Bhanvi Satija, Raghav Mahobe and Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
