Blow for sufferers as experimental Alzheimer's drug is scrapped

Studies of one of the most anticipated experimental drugs for Alzheimer's disease have been scrapped after it failed to help patients with the condition in a high-profile clinical trial.

Pfizer Inc and Johnson & Johnson said they would discontinue all other studies of the drug bapineuzumab including two more trials and follow-up extension studies, in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's.

The result marked the second such late-stage failure announced in recent weeks and was especially disappointing as bapineuzumab had been given a better chance of success in the patients studied in the second trial. If successful, it would have been the first drug to fight the progression of the debilitating brain disease.

Attention will now turn to solanezumab, a similar drug being developed by Eli Lilly & Co that is also considered a long-shot to succeed, but will still carry fading hopes at least until test results are released later this year. Shares in all three drugs firms fell following news of the latest disappointment.

Any successful Alzheimer's treatment is likely to reap many billions of pounds in sales, and industry analysts said many investors were holding shares in the companies in case the drugs were to succeed. "We are obviously very disappointed in the outcomes of this trial. We are also saddened by the lost opportunity to provide a meaningful advance for patients afflicted with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease," said Steven Romano, head of Pfizer's medicines development group.

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
News in pictures
World news in pictures
Life & Style blogs

Wandsworth tops aspiring young professionals hotspot list

Other popular areas include Didsbury, Clifton in Bristol, central Cambridge and West Bridgford

Christian GPs and the morning after pill: Much needed clarification

Doctors are allowed to have personal beliefs, just as long as these beliefs do not interfere with th...

Justin Webb on the medical advances in tackling heart disease

BBC journalist Justin Webb talks about his experiences of the advances in preventing heart attacks a...

       

ES Rentals

    Independent Dating
    and  

    By clicking 'Search' you
    are agreeing to our
    Terms of Use.

    iJobs Job Widget
    iJobs General

    Senior/Principal Ecologist

    £26000 - £33000 Per Annum: The Green Recruitment Company: The Green Recruitmen...

    Newly Qualified Teacher jobs available in Sheffield September

    Negotiable: Randstad Education Sheffield: We are currently recruiting newly qu...

    Design Engineer - ProE, Hand Calcs

    Negotiable: Progressive Recruitment: Dear Sumadhab, A growing engineering comp...

    Assistant Headteacher - Special needs

    £53000 - £58000 per annum: Randstad Education Group: Assistant Headteacher - S...

    Day In a Page

    'There is a battle going on inside us that is never discussed'

    Masculinity in crisis?

    'There is a battle going on inside us that is never discussed'
    Have US shock jocks gone too far?

    Have US shock jocks gone too far?

    An incendiary remark from Rush Limbaugh may be the beginning of the end for outspoken right-wing US broadcasters
    The ‘Beverly Hills’ of Surrey pays more income tax than big cities of the North

    The ‘Beverly Hills’ of Surrey

    Elmbridge pays more income tax than big cities of the North
    Heavenly Bodies

    Heavenly Bodies

    Michael Landy's artistic marriage made in heaven... and hell
    'He will always be a friend': Jackie Stewart backs Polanski

    'He will always be a friend'

    Jackie Stewart backs Roman Polanski
    The price of pacifism: Refusing to go to war is finally being recognised as a brave act

    The price of pacifism

    From the Second World War refusenik to the 19-year-old Israeli, Holly Williams talks to five people who risked shame and suffering to take a stand as conscientious objector.
    'It was mass hysteria': Jason Isaacs on groupies, theatre bores and snogging James Bond

    Jason Isaacs: Groupies, theatre bores and James Bond

    To millions, Jason Isaacs is one of Harry Potter's arch enemies – but his wife prefers him as a Scottish TV detective.
    Notes from a small island: Is Sealand an independent 'micronation' or an illegal fortress?

    Sealand: 'Micronation' or illegal fortress?

    Thomas Hodgkinson spent a week at the tiny platform off the Suffolk coast to find out.
    Not a bad bone: Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

    Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

    If you ignore cutlets and ribs, you'll risk missing out on some delicious and easy meals, says our chef.
    The experts' guide to summer: From getting fit for the beach to recreating that Olympic buzz

    The experts' guide to summer

    From getting fit for the beach to recreating that Olympic buzz
    Sex, drugs and fast cars: The legend of James Hunt has set Hollywood hearts racing

    Legend of James Hunt has set Hollywood hearts racing

    Early glimpses of Ron Howard's film Rush suggest it will portray Hunt as a high-living lothario, with an insatiable appetite for partying.
    Macklemore: 'I don't have moderation when using drugs and alcohol. It was hurting my life'

    Macklemore: 'I don't have moderation'

    The next Vanilla Ice or the next Eminem? Macklemore doesn't have a record contract – but he does have the UK's biggest-selling single of the year.
    Don't be shy: Bill Granger's Sri Lankan recipes

    Don't be shy: Bill Granger's Sri Lankan recipes

    Sri Lankan cuisine is light, sunny, wonderfully spiced – and so easy to cook from scratch. Just as soon as you've broken into the coconut, that is.
    Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

    Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

    Doctors are hailing the revamp of a Bath neonatal unit, where babies sleep more and feed better, as the model for patient care
    One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

    One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

    Epecuen was submerged under 10 metres of water in 1985. Now the floods have gone – and 83-year-old Pablo Novak has moved back in