Merck's Promising Early Alzheimer's Data Can't Quell Efficacy Concerns

 
• By Lucie Ellis-Taitt
  
Generate a summary of this article
Listen to this article
Beta

The publication of Phase I analyses for Merck & Co.'s Alzheimer's therapy, verubecestat, may help to explain why the company decided to pursue costly Phase III studies without more data – but questions still remain around the drug's fundamental hypothesis that modulating the brain amyloid system will translate into a clinical response.

Peptid
Will Merck's BACE inhibitor be the first new Alzheimer's drug to market in over a decade? • Source: Shutterstock/Juan Gaertner

Phase I data for Merck & Co. Inc.'s BACE1 inhibitor, verubecestat, were published earlier this week in Science Translational Medicine (STM), spurring headlines that the first successful Alzheimer's therapy in over a decade may be upon us in 2017. But, while the early-stage data have been called encouraging, they are not enough to douse the flames of doubt that inevitably surround all Phase III Alzheimer's trials – an R&D space prone to late-stage failures. (Also see "Alzheimer's Disease: Learning the Lessons Of The Past To Prepare For The Future" - Scrip, 8 December, 2015.)

Merck confounded analysts when, on the back of a few early-stage studies, it launched two late-stage trials for verubecestat in...

Scrip Podcast

Keep up with the top pharma business news of the week. On the go.

Scrip brings you a weekly bulletin of top picks.

SpotifyApple PodcastsWebsite

More from Neurological

Evidence Growing For GLP-1s To Treat Alzheimer’s And Parkinson’s

 
• By Andrew McConaghie

GLP-1 receptor agonists could play a big role in tackling neurodegeneration and a new academic study has raised expectations of Novo Nordisk’s latest semaglutide Phase III results

As More DLL3 Bispecifics Advance, Doctors Are Adjusting To CRS, ICANS

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Amgen’s Imdelltra for small-cell lung cancer is one of two bispecific T-cell engagers approved for solid tumors, but data at the WCLC meeting show other DLL3-targeting BiTEs may be on the way.

Novo Nordisk’s Semaglutide Shows Promise In Hidradenitis Suppurativa

 
• By Andrew McConaghie

An academic study of GLP-1 agonist showed promise in patients with the painful skin condition but with no signs that the Danish drugmaker will pursue the indication, smaller players in the space may be interested.

Biogen Joins Molecular Glue Degrader Club with Neomorph Pact--Test-1

 
• By Saba Afreen

As it posts third-quarter numbers that again reveal the decline of revenues from its multiple sclerosis portfolio, the US biotech major is entering into the hot area of targeted protein degradation to boost its immunology and neurology pipeline.

More from Therapeutic Category

Scrip Data Article Without An Author

"Neque porro quisquam est qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit..."

Spotlight On RDCs, AOCs As Leading Novel Bioconjugates[Updated]

Pipelines in bioconjugates continue to develop, from ADCs to XDCs, with radionuclide drug conjugates (RDCs) and antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates (AOCs) leading the expansion.

Fosun ALK/ROS1 Inhibitor Shows 1L Promise In Advanced NSCLC

Interim results from the Phase III REMARK study presented at WCLC showed the Chinese company’s second-generation ALK/ROS1 inhibitor met its primary endpoint as a first-line therapy in ALK-positive advanced NSCLC.