Alzheimer Drug Stopped In Testing Stages by Eli Lilly
An experimental drug being made and test for Alzheimer’s disease has been stopped by it’s manufacturer, Eli Lilly. The reason for this, is that the drug did not stop memory loss in the suffers, and it also had the major side affect of increasing the risk of skin cancer in those who were treated with the experimental drug.
The U.S. based company is taking a blow, with much time and effort going into the drug, semagacestat, which, if it had proven successful, would have been a quality earner for the company. As it stands, there are still a few options left to the Eli Lilly, such as solanezumab and two other experimental drugs as a possible cure for the disease.
How the drug semagacestat works is that it prevents nzyme gamma secretase from producing the plaque beta amyloid. Alzheimer’s suffers are seen to have plaques and tangles, another protein, are found in their brains. What it thought, is that helping to clear the brain of this will help the suffer with their memory loss, and ability to recall their memories easier.
The setback will not harm the company too much, according to Eli Lilly Chief Executive Officer John Lechleiter, who will continue pursuing a cure for this disease.
Filed Under: Mental Health
