Flurizan,
an experimental drug that had been undergoing late-stage
testing, failed to show benefits for easing the memory loss
and thinking problems of Alzheimer’s disease.
The findings are very disappointing
because Flurizan was one of a new class of Alzheimer’s
medications that work in a new way. Unlike existing
Alzheimer’s drugs like Aricept, Exelon and Namenda, which
may ease symptoms but do not stop the downward progression
of disease, Flurizan was aimed at underlying disease
processes and sought to modify the course of Alzheimer’s.
"We are disappointed that Flurizan
failed to achieve significance in this study, and we will
now discontinue development of this compound," said Peter
Meldrum, President and Chief Executive Officer of Myriad
Genetics, the company that makes the drug.
Flurizan is aimed at beta-amyloid, the
toxic protein that builds up and forms plaques in the brains
of those with Alzheimer’s. Researchers were hoping that it
might offer a new avenue of attack for stemming the decline
of dementia. But the drug, which goes by the generic name
tarfenflurbil, did not improve thinking and memory skills or
the ability to carry out everyday tasks compared to a
placebo.
The drug had shown promise in
mid-stage trials in
Britain
earlier this spring. [See the
www.ALZinfo.org story,
“Experimental Drug Flurizan May Slow Decline of Mild
Alzheimer’s”.
By
www.ALZinfo.org, The
Alzheimer's Information Site. Reviewed by William J. Netzer,
Ph.D., Fisher
Center
for Alzheimer's Research Foundation at The
Rockefeller
University.
June 30, 2008
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