Alzheimer’s disease drug study disappoints Lilly

Eli Lilly has presented detailed results of its disappointing phase 3 Expedition3 trial at the 9th Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease (CTAD) meeting, which tested solenazumab.

Lily has already said that solanezumab did not meet the primary endpoint in the Expedition3 clinical trial. This was  a study of solanezumab for people with mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Lilly said it would not further submit solanezumab for the treatment of mild dementia due to AD.

“The results of Expedition3 are without question disappointing,” said Eric Siemers, M.D., from Lilly. “However, Lilly remains committed to finding solutions for this devastating disease. We will continue to analyze study results and work with the external scientific community in the hopes of uncovering findings that will help shape and advance future Alzheimer’s disease research.”

Lawrence S. Honig, M.D., Ph.D.,  principal investigator of the Expedition3 study said: “Alzheimer’s is a challenging disease that researchers have been committed to studying for some years. Now is not the time to give up. “

Lilly didn’t expect this kind of results, Honig said. However, he added that researchers will find adequate therapies to slow down Alzheimer’s.

Solenazumib slightly better than placebo

The study results did favor solanezumab, but the small treatment differences. The patients who took solanezumab saw little slowing memory decline compared to patients treated with placebo.

About Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a fatal illness that starts with changes in the brain that may begin 20 years or more before symptoms appear. Those changes cause a progressive decline in memory and other aspects of cognition that eventually lead to dementia.