New Alzheimer’s Drug Disappoints

BY THE SENIOR LIST-NOVEMBER 23, 2016 

A hopeful Alzheimer’s drug candidate from Eli Lilly recently failed a large clinical trial – As announced by the company on Wednesday. The drug, named “solanezumab”, was thought to reduce the buildup of amyloid plaques in the brain.  It’s the build-up of these plaques that are believed to (at least) contribute to the prevalence of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced that solanezumab did not meet the primary endpoint in the EXPEDITION3 clinical trial, a phase 3 study of solanezumab in people with mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). While the study results, including many secondary clinical endpoints, directionally favored solanezumab, the magnitudes of treatment differences were small. There were no new safety signals identified in the study. Lilly will not pursue regulatory submissions for solanezumab for the treatment of mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease. – Eli Lilly and Company, Nov. 23, 2016

RELATED: New Study Links Allergy Medicine And Alzheimer’s Disease

What Is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Wikipedia defines Alzheimer’s disease as clearly as any:  “A chronic neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and gets worse over time.  It is the cause of 60% to 70% of cases of dementia.  The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events (short-term memory loss).  As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems with language, disorientation (including easily getting lost), mood swings, loss of motivation, not managing self care, and behavioural issues.”

For those with Alzheimer’s disease, or for those families struggling to care for their loved one with Alzheimer’s Disease, today’s news from Lilly is incredibly disappointing.  The hope for new therapies and/or an outright cure is on the minds of millions of American’s today.

A Message From Eli Lilly

Our hats are off to the fine folks at Eli Lilly.   We hope the many millions of research dollars, and the many thousands (millions?) of hours spent looking for a cure will only provide greater motivation to continue the fight. Today might offer disappointing news… But tomorrow may offer a cure.