Alzheimer's drug flops in Phase III

A previously promising drug candidate for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, solanezumab from Eli Lilly, has delivered disappointing results in Phase III trials – it failed to slow disease progress, missing the cognitive and functional primary endpoints of the trials.

Solanezumab, a monoclonal antibody, is a big part of the Lilly pipeline and was once thought of as a future blockbuster. But more recently its popularity has waned, with many commentators suggesting that the probability of Phase III success was low.

Lilly says that it has yet to decide what the long term future for the candidate is. Some optimism was provided by evidence that it slowed cognitive decline in patients with only mild-to-moderate symptoms.

‘We recognize that the solanezumab studies did not meet their primary endpoints,’ said Lilly boss John Lechleiter chairman. ‘But we are encouraged by the pooled data that appear to show a slowing of cognitive decline. We intend to discuss these data with regulatory authorities to gain their insights on potential next steps.’