Another failure in search for treatment to slow Alzheimer’s
INDIANAPOLIS — An experimental treatment for Alzheimer’s failed again in a widely anticipated study, disappointing many who had hoped Eli Lilly had finally found a way to slow the progression of the mind-robbing disease.
The drug did not work better than a placebo treatment in a study of 2,100 people with mild Alzheimer’s, the company announced Wednesday.
The drug binds to a protein called amyloid beta that builds up in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.
The drug clears the protein from the brain before it can clump together to form a sticky plaque between nerve cells.
Amyloid still plays some role, and it’s premature to abandon the notion of targeting it, said a specialist who has led many previous failed Alzheimer’s drug studies.