An experimental drug by Roche, in two trials, failed to show it could slow the progress of Alzheimer’s disease, leaving rivals Biogen and Esai in the lead in a hopeful race to find a cure for the memory-stealing disease.
Roche said in a statement that the two studies, conducted together, did not reach the desired goal of demonstrating that the drug gantirumab can maintain abilities such as memory, problem-solving, guidance and personal care for patients in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, reports a local Arabic daily quoting Reuters.
The company added that the drug was associated with a relative decrease in the deterioration of symptoms by about 8 percent in one of the two studies and 6 percent in the other study when comparing those who received the drug and those who were given a placebo, but added that these results are not statistically significant.