Eli Lilly said Jan. 11 that its experimental Alzheimer's drug, donanemab, showed a significant slowing of decline in cognition and daily function in patients with early symptomatic Alzheimer's in a phase 2 trial.
The drug slowed decline in memory and ability to perform daily living activities by 32 percent after 18 months in patients given the drug compared to a placebo, the drugmaker said.
"We are extremely pleased about these positive findings for donanemab as a potential therapy for people living with Alzheimer's disease, the only leading cause of death without a treatment that slows disease progression," said Mark Mintun, MD, vice president of pain and neurodegeneration at Eli Lilly.
The full results of the study will be presented at a future meeting and submitted to a peer-reviewed clinical journal, Eli Lilly said.
The drugmaker has begun enrolling volunteers in a 500-person study to confirm the results, The Wall Street Journal reported.
"It’s a big moment for Alzheimer’s patients. There’s hope again," Daniel Skovronsky, MD, PhD, Eli Lilly’s chief scientific officer, told the Journal.
Read Eli Lilly's full news release here.
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