The end result here is going to signal whether this drug would be able to overcome the negative studies of the past and the first treatment to be marketed which can aid in decreasing the pace of Alzheimer’s progression.
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In spite of these setbacks, the industry still hunts for a better treatment simply because of limitations of the current options. And a huge market opportunity awaits drugs that can slow or halt disease progression.
Scientists from Lilly however saw hope because the treatment appeared to slow the decline in cognitive abilities in one subgroup of patients with the mild form of the debilitating disease. Jefferies & Co. analyst Jeffrey Holford estimates the Lilly drug could generate peak annual sales of more than $3 billion world-wide if it is approved for marketing by regulators. Positive results would bolster the outlook for the Indianapolis company’s sales and earnings as it tries to move past patent expirations for older blockbusters.
Eric Karran, director of research at Alzheimer’s Research United Kingdom, said it would be interesting to find out if the treatment worked in the long term.
While the outcomes, relying on a short time of treatment of sufferers in the mildest indicators, are unconcluded, Alzheimer’s is so much of an intractable problem that is actually, if found, they generally would continue to symbolize a possible discovery.
The results due out this week aren’t from that new study, but from an extension of the two studies that were reported in 2012. However, its researchers presented results at a recent conference where they said: “Results from 28 weeks’ treatment suggest patients who received Solanezumab had a cognitive benefit not recovered by patients who began Solanezumab later”.
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Initial trials failed to show any benefit, but when researchers went back over the data they found that it seemed to work in people with mild symptoms and launched a new study. The Alzheimer’s Association offers a variety of educational programs, including, “The Basics: Memory Loss, Dementia, and Alzheimer’s Disease”, a program to help a person living with Alzheimer’s understand the disease and what they can do. These amyloid plaques are what causes the disease.
