Free Republic

NEW YORK — Pfizer Inc. and Johnson & Johnson said Monday they are ending development of an intravenous formulation of a drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease after the treatment failed in two late-stage clinical trials. The companies said bapineuzumab intravenous did not work better than placebo in two late-stage trials in patients who had mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. The drug is designed to prevent the buildup of plaque in the brain. J&J said it is not discontinuing development of the compound and noted it has ongoing studies including a mid-stage neuroimaging study with bapineuzumab delivered subcutaneously...

LONDON (Reuters) - Elan and Wyeth's key new drug bapineuzumab worked for a substantial proportion of Alzheimer's disease patients in an intermediate clinical trial, supporting a prior decision to start final phase III tests. The two companies said on Tuesday that although the drug did not achieve overall statistically significant results in the phase II study, its benefits over placebo were significant in an important subgroup. The update on the antibody medicine, also known as AAB-001, is perhaps the year's most keenly awaited biotech trial result. If successful in final-stage trials, the medicine could be the world's first drug to...