Lundbeck gives up on
Alzheimer's drug, rival to Axovant pill
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[February 08, 2017]
By Ben Hirschler
(Reuters) - Two remaining late-stage
clinical trials testing an experimental Alzheimer's drug from Denmark's
Lundbeck have failed, scuppering hopes for the medicine and underscoring
the difficulty of developing such treatments.
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Lundbeck's idalopirdine is a so-called 5-HT6 antagonist and is
similar to another pill, called intepirdine, being developed by U.S.
biotech firm Axovant Sciences.
Unlike some higher profile Alzheimer's drugs from companies such as
Eli Lilly and Merck & Co, idalopirdine was aimed at treating
symptoms of the brain disorder, rather than halting progression of
the underlying disease.
The failure of Lundbeck's two latest Phase III trials is not a huge
surprise, since the company and its Japanese partner Otsuka had
already announced disappointing results from another late-stage
trial in September.
Taken together, Lundbeck said on Wednesday, the trials "do not
demonstrate efficacy to support a regulatory submission".
The setback casts further doubt on the 5-HT6 antagonist approach to
fighting Alzheimer's, following discontinuation of another 5-HT6
antagonist last year from Pfizer that had reached mid-stage clinical
testing.
Shares in Lundbeck fell more than 4 percent after the company gave
its update on idalopirdine alongside fourth-quarter financial
results.
Drugs working to block 5-HT6 are designed to promote the release of
acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter needed for normal cognition. The
idea is to use them alongside the existing drug donepezil to help
patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s.
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Cholinesterase inhibitors, like donepezil, are currently among the
few medical options for treating Alzheimer's patients.
Looking ahead, drugmakers hope to use new types of medicines that
target the build-up of certain proteins in the brain that are
thought to impair cognition.
The failure of one such closely watched experimental drug from Eli
Lilly in November dealt a blow to this concept but experts believe
subtly different therapies could still work.
(Editing by Louise Heavens)
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