Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly has halted testing of a new, experimental treatment for Alzheimer’s after early results indicate the drug could actually worsen patients’ conditions, the company announced Tuesday.
The drug, semagacestat, was designed to target amyloid-beta plaques, which are widely considered to be a primary indicator of Alzheimer’s disease. Though it was meant to reduce production of the plaques, the drug instead was associated with reduced cognitive function and ability to perform day-to-day tasks, according to the results of two late-stage trials. Patients were also at a heightened risk for skin cancer, according to a New York Times report.
Eli Lilly will continue development of another amyloid beta-targeting drug, solanezumab, which fights the plaques in a different way than semagacestat.
