AstraZeneca and Lilly to progress development of Alzheimer’s therapy

AstraZeneca and Lilly have announced that they will be taking the development of their new Alzheimer's disease therapy to the next stage.

AMARANTH, a phase II/III study of the oral beta secretase cleaving enzyme inhibitor therapy AZD3293, will continue into the phase III section of the programme after an independent data monitoring committee confirmed the safety of the treatment.

Currently in development as a potential treatment for early Alzheimer's disease, the drug has been shown in phase I studies to reduce levels of amyloid beta in the cerebrospinal fluid of people with Alzheimer's disease and healthy volunteers.

Menelas Pangalos, executive vice-president for the IMED Biotech Unit at AstraZeneca, said: "Disease-modifying approaches such as this have the potential to transform the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and help patients in this area of large unmet medical need."

Meanwhile, a new phase III trial for AZD3293 called DAYBREAK has also been scheduled for later this year. It will study the safety and efficacy of the drug in people with mild Alzheimer's dementia.

Patient enrolment for DAYBREAK will commence in the third quarter of 2016.