Advisory committee will discuss tools for Alzheimer’s diagnosis
Executive Summary
The Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee will meet Oct. 23 to discuss the development of radionuclide imaging for amyloid detection to assist in diagnosing Alzheimer's disease. The buildup of amyloid plaque may be a key characteristic of the disease, but so far no company has successfully developed an anti-amyloid therapy (1"The Pink Sheet," Aug. 4, 2008, p. 15). Firms unveiled data on their respective agents at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease. Phase II data from Lilly's anti-amyloid beta monoclonal antibody LY2062430 showed no change in patients' cognitive score or the amount of plaque in the brain, and a Phase II study of Wyeth/Elan's bapineuzumab, a monoclonal antibody thought to induce an immune response to clear beta amyloid plaque buildup in the brain, failed to meet its primary efficacy endpoints