Roche halts trials of Alzheimer's drug

The research into Alzheimer's disease has suffered another serious setback. The pharmaceutical group Roche announced the stop of two late Phase III clinical trials with its hope Crenezumab.

An interim analysis showed that the Drug is not likely to reach the targeted goal of the study, said Roche. New safety concerns had not come to light. The research and development of other Alzheimer's resources wants to continue the pharmaceutical manufacturer from Basel.

number of failures

Roche is not included in a long list of failures in the development of therapies against Alzheimer's disease, which has been used for years on the spot. Since 2016, the experimental means of Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson or Merck fell through. Pfizer in the past year, the development of drugs against Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

More than 100 clinical studies performed so far, no effective therapy for rapidly progressive dementia, in the brain of the Affected of toxic protein clumps accumulate, which can damage the nerve cells. The current drugs can only alleviate the symptoms.

Worldwide suffer almost 50 million people have a dementia, and annually 10 million new cases are diagnosed. Alzheimer's disease is the most common Form of the disease.

Big bust risk

analysts had developed Crenezumab, Roche's US biotech subsidiary Genentech, together with AC Immune, billions in sales is expected. Investors reacted, however, is hardly on the news: The Roche Certificates listed on the Swiss stock exchange, unchanged on the previous day's level.

the experts at The broker, Baader Helvea languages are expected to study failure. Most analysts do not take into account Alzheimer's drugs in their earnings estimates because of a large failure risk. On the US stock exchange Nasdaq, the shares of AC Immune is likely to go on a downward spiral. (ij/sda)

Created: 30.01.2019, 11:38 PM