The Caring Corner®

Disappointing Research News

November 29, 2016

For months all eyes have been on the clinical trial of a drug called Solanezumab. Developed by Eli Lilly, it had been viewed as the industry’s best hope for treating Alzheimer’s.   Sadly, the company announced that trial results have been disappointing and that it is abandoning further research.

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We shouldn’t be surprised. Alzheimer’s drugs have a failure rate greater than 99 percent.   Alzheimer’s is a top priority for drug makers, yet so far they have invested – and lost — hundreds of millions of dollars in pursuit of a cure. There are five drugs on the market that can temporarily treat symptoms of Alzheimer’s, but no product has been able to slow the disease.

More than 5 million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer’s, making it the most common form of dementia. It is the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S. and the only one without a way to prevent, cure or even slow its progression.

 

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