Urgency for critical Alzheimer’s disease treatments Intensifies as drug pipeline receives setback.
Following Wednesday’s announcement that Eli Lilly’s drug that would slow memory loss in people with mild cases of Alzheimer’s disease failed Phase III clinical trials, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s emphasizes that while this news is a setback for the millions of people around the world with dementia, the pipeline could see more successful results in the near future.
In light of the urgency surrounding the critical need to deliver a treatment for a disease that has no cure and is the third leading cause of death in the United States, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s is escalating its calls to action to increase research funding for Alzheimer’s disease and dementias and develop a stronger and faster clinical trial infrastructure.
“While the news today is not what any of us wanted to hear, we want to offer our heartfelt appreciation to the entire Lilly team, including the tens of thousands researchers and clinical trials coordinators, in its steadfast commitment, leadership and unwavering resolve to work to vanquish this complex disease,” said George Vradenburg, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s co-founder and chairman.
“We have the utmost gratitude to the 4,000 clinical trials participants and their families, and we are more focused than ever to sustain this fight,” he added. “The first person to be cured of Alzheimer’s is someone who will have been in a clinical trial, and we must continue to engage more people to actively participate in clinical research. Today we grieve; tomorrow we renew the fight.”
While the Alzheimer’s disease drug pipeline has been marred by more than a decade of high failure rates, due to the complex nature of Alzheimer’s, as well as public underinvestment in research, every step in the process – even a setback – brings science closer to a cure, according to the group.
“Holidays are the hardest for millions of Alzheimer’s families as we try to make memories we know won’t last the moment. But the faith we placed in the researchers and global Alzheimer’s disease team at Lilly remains unabated, despite the outcome of the EXPEDITION3 clinical trial,” said Meryl Comer, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s board member, author of “Slow Dancing With A Stranger: Lost and Found in the Age of Alzheimer’s” and president of the Geoffrey Beene Foundation Alzheimer’s Initiative. “We have watched them work tirelessly with great integrity, tenacity and transparency. Winning the battle against Alzheimer’s is bigger than any one company and asks all of us to share our health data and participate in clinical research.”
Despite Wednesday’s results, the group expressed hope, as there are more promising innovations on the horizon. An analysis of the Phase III Alzheimer’s drug pipeline, conducted by ResearchersAgainstAlzheimer’s (RA2), shows that there are now 22 Alzheimer’s drugs in Phase III clinical trials, 18 of which may be on track to launch in the next five years. According to the analysis, a diverse pipeline requires a standing, high-performance clinical trial infrastructure that allows for rapid testing and, thus, fast failure or success.
UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, founded in 2010 is a non-profit organization committed to finding a solution to Alzheimer’s.
(Source: PR Newswire)
Filed Under: Drug Discovery
