Clinical trials for an experimental drug called idalopirdine are being dropped by its developer after the treatment failed to slow the progress of Alzheimer’s.
The three trials involved 2,525 patients in 34 countries. Ultimately the treatment failed to improve cognitive function in the patients and it caused no significant improvement in other daily functions compared to a placebo. The drug was developed by Lundbeck, a Dutch pharmaceutical company.
According to a report in the LA Times, about 400 clinical trials for Alzheimer’s treatments have ended in defeat and the goal of slowing the disease’s progress has mostly alluded drug makers.
This setback is just the latest blow to Alzheimer’s patients looking to pharmaceutical companies for help. Earlier this week, Pfizer announced that it is ending its quest for new Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s treatments and reallocating funds to research that looks more promising