After various reviews, Lily’s Alzheimer’s disease drug awaits a response from Wall Street

As the market opens today, Eli Lilly and Company has millions of dollars of questions. Have pharmaceutical companies finally made great strides in the long-awaited new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease?

If so, the Indianapolis-based company will surge its inventory following Saturday’s announcement of the full results of an 18-month study of 272 Alzheimer’s patients for a new drug called donanemab. I was able to see.

However, early reviews are mixed. Some have said that the results of Lily’s drug are promising, while others have said that further research is needed.

Caregivers around the world are eager to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, and any signs that pharmaceutical companies are approaching will increase their interest in Wall Street.

Lily’s researchers found that the drug delayed cognitive and daily function deterioration in patients with early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease by 32% compared to placebo.

The drug also removed a large amount of sticky plaque, known as beta-amyloid, from the brain, as measured by images. Plaque, which accumulates between nerve cells in the brain, is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease.

The drug company added that the results show that donanemab “may be a very important treatment for Alzheimer’s disease” and are discussing the results with regulators around the world.

But is the slowdown of the 32% decline enough to excite caregivers, investors, and federal regulators of Alzheimer’s disease?

Judging from the comments published, it was a good show, but not a Slam Dunk victory.

“These results are encouraging,” said Maria Carillo, chief scientific officer of the Alzheimer’s Association. I told The Wall Street Journal. “What we really need is to follow people longer,” he says, seeing if the obvious benefits persist.

Others agreed that Lily’s results were encouraging.

“I’ve been in this area for a long time,” said Marwan Sabbagh, Translational Research Director, Cleveland Clinic Lurubo Brain Health Center, Las Vegas. Told Bloomberg News.. “This is some of the best Phase 2 data I’ve seen.

This is the first time that intermediate-stage studies of drugs that attempt to delay Alzheimer’s disease as well as relieve the patient’s symptoms have had positive results, According to STAT, Online medical news site.

The study “showed some of the best early results” seen by pharmaceutical researchers in the field, STAT said.

“What divides many researchers is whether that is the reason for their excitement,” he added.

Lily previously announced top-line results in January. This resulted in a 14% increase in inventories, undoubtedly a rise for Alzheimer’s disease caregivers around the world.

Lily has spent more than $ 3 billion over 30 years trying to find a way to treat Alzheimer’s disease, but has recorded a series of high-value failures, including three major defeats since 2010. ..

Alzheimer’s disease is the only leading cause of death without treatment that slows the progression of the disease. Fatal illnesses cause poor memory and other aspects of cognition and are most commonly characterized by dementia.

More than 50 million people worldwide live with dementia, and 10 million are diagnosed each year.

Some reviewers said Lily was doing her best to get the results, adding that government regulators would want to see the results from additional studies.

“It’s worth noting how Lily’s bullish claim to the results contrasts with the much more modest conclusions of the full paper.” Written an independent news site, Evaluate Vantage It covers pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. “The authors conclude that donanemab” has slightly less cognitive decline than placebo. ” Empowered as the trial shows, slowing the progression of the disease in half was not achieved. “

The New England Journal of Medicine warned in its findings that the drug may not be ready to go on the market.

“To study the efficacy and safety of donanemab in Alzheimer’s disease, more and more large-scale trials are needed.” The medical journal wrote.

The authors conclude that donanemab has “moderately” less cognitive and dysfunction than placebo.

Lily continues her companion study. If it turns out to be favorable, the drug company said it would submit donanemab to federal regulators for review.

The failure rate of drugs for Alzheimer’s disease is surprisingly high.

According to a 2018 report published by the Washington, DC-based Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America industry group, 146 failures to develop drugs that could treat and prevent Alzheimer’s disease between 1998 and 2017. Did.

At the same time, the industry has launched only four treatments for this disease. These treatments only helped manage the symptoms. They did nothing to slow down the process.

Experimental drugs for neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, tend to be the most dangerous and expensive in medicine. According to a 2006 Federal Trade Commission survey, only 25% of Alzheimer’s drugs may be approved by the federal government, compared to 44% of breast cancer or HIV.